Sonic the Hedgehog: A Rift in Time
by Arrowsight
Summary: When a strange time rift sends a young man to Mobius, the Freedom Fighters go to help him from Robotnik's grasp. Robotnik has much planned though, and this boy is the start of his plans. Review please! Chapter 22 is up!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note- Hello to all you readers. I am Arrowsight and welcome to my work. I will give a full summary in here so things will be much more clear. I am not very far into the Sonic comics at the moment, so I am making a scenario that fits what I am going to do. This fanfic is based off of the Archie Comics. I hope you will enjoy what I will write, and I do enjoy reading reviews, so Review!**

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**Sonic the Hedgehog: A Rift in Time**

_War still ravages the planet Mobius. Over the past decade, the evil Dr. Robotnik (the one that looked like Dr. Eggman) has tried to control the planet for himself and turn all of the citizens into mindless robot slaves. His evil plans have been thwarted every time by the Blue Hedgehog named Sonic, and the Freedom Fighters who Sonic has fought for a long time. The members of the Freedom Fighters include Sonic, Tails (mechanic expert), Rotor the walrus (Technical Expert), Antonie D'Coolette the coyote (Swordsman), Bunnie the rabbit, and Sally Acorn the ground squirrel (leader). Sally happens to be the princess of the Kingdom of Knothole. Her father is King Maximilian Acorn, and her mother is Alicia Acorn. She has a brother, Elias Acorn, but he rejected the crown and fled to lead his own life._

_During an infiltration mission on Robotnik's base, Sally appears to have a fatal fall and is pronounced dead. Her killer, appeared to be Sonic the Hedgehog. After the headstrong agent of the king, one Geoffrey St John the skunk chased Sonic down for a while, they learn that Robotnik set the whole thing up. Robotnik built a massive cannon that would wipe Knothole off of the map. Sonic wasn't able to stop the cannon from firing, but was able to stop Robotnik for good. Knothole wasn't destroyed, it was transported three hours into the future. Sonic went back to Knothole to confirm if the news of Sally's death were true. The doctor, Dr Quack the duck, explains that his family was kidnapped by Robotnik and was forced to announce that Sally was dead after the launch. Sally wasn't dead, she was only in a temporary coma inside a hyperbolic chamber disguised as a monumental coffin. Sally wakes up shortly after._

_The effect of Robotnik's cannon disrupted the very fabric of time itself, random rifts in time and space began to appear, and a new Robotnik was born. One much more evil, smarter, and much more annoying._

_Over the years, Sonic and Sally developed a relationship that went from good friend, to soul mate. Although, when Sally gave Sonic the choice between the Hero and her, he chose the life of a hero. Sonic explains that Robtonik is still alive, and the king life would be boring for him. They were distant for a while, but eventually went back to being friends. Antonie and Bunnie are together for quite some time now, becoming husband and wife._

_King Max was not very happy with Sonic rejecting Sally's proposal to either become a husband, or a hero. Since then, the two of them have not been on even footing, but still work together as they should. Sonic sometimes acts on his own, bringing more trouble than good, but also bringing more good than trouble._

_This is not where our story begins. Our story begins with a young boy by the name of Aaron Morevah._

Aaron was sitting at home with his foster parent, an old Japanese man named Mikami. Aaron was a young man, age 17. He has been an orphan for a short while, the shock of his parent's death still plaguing his mind....partially. Although his parents died, the love of his life died that same evening, in the same car accident. Aaron left with only a long white scar running down his cheek. Mikami was Aaron's good friend, and took him in. Aaron didn't want to be with any of his family, as they blame him for the accident.

Mikami has been a great mentor as well. Mikami offered to teach Aaron in the ways of the sword when Aaron was about 12 years old. Aaron accepted his request. Over the years, Aaron has become a great swordsman. He prefers to use two 4 foot long swords. Aaron is also very good with a gun. With his handgun, he can shoot a running rabbit with a single shot and kill it instantly.

Aaron and Mikami were eating lunch, which consisted of some chicken and rice. A guitar case sat at Aaron's side. He never went anywhere without it. It was given to him by his girlfriend for his birthday. It was the only thing he had to remember her by. Inside was a common guitar that Aaron kept in good condition. Once Aaron finished his meal, he picked up the case and said, "I'm going for a walk. I'll be back later."

Mikami nodded. "Alright, don't be gone to late. I don't want you to go out and search for you again." Aaron nodded and walked out the door. It was a beautiful summer afternoon, the cool breeze brushing against Aaron's face calmed him. A large lake was about 10 miles from his house, Aaron went there every day to try and escape the daily pressures of life, but they were always there to greet him when he got back. Sometimes he wished he could just get away from it all, and vanish.

Aaron thought about his life as he began to walk towards the lake. The flashbacks of the accident repeating over and over again. The shattering glass, the scream of his girlfriend, Alyson. The sound of metal crashing into metal. The feel of his parent's blood splattering against his face as the engine of the truck smashed through the window. The pain of the glass shard slicing his face as he was thrown out of the window. And finally the force of the explosion as the gas tank burst into flames, killing all in the car instantly.

Before Aaron knew it, he was standing at the edge of the lake, the clear blue water reflecting the calm summer sky. Large rocks surrounded the lake. Aaron had a particular one that he favored. It had a delve in it, which allowed him to use it like a chair. Aaron sat down on the rock and pulled the guitar out of the case. At the bottom of the case was a note.

_This should help you realize your dreams._

_Love, Alyson_

Aaron's dream was to become a country singer. What kind of city boy wants to become a country singer? Aaron strung his hand with a plastic pic on each finger. Aaron then strummed his hand over the strings once to check the tone. After some adjustments, he began to play. He never wrote songs, he just played what came to mind. Most of his songs were just a random order of notes that worked well. Aaron had great musical perception, able to think of perfect notes to play in any given situation.

Tears began to fall from Aaron's face as he played, splattering against the top of the guitar. Aaron suddenly felt a strange breeze behind him. He paid no mind to it, but when the speed of the wind increased greatly, he turned around to see what it was and gasped.

It looked as if the air itself tore slightly. There was a large swirl of colors in the center of the hole. Aaron put the guitar in the case and walked towards the weird phenomena, his guitar case in his hand. Just as Aaron got within a few feet of it, the wind suddenly shifted towards the phenomena. Aaron felt as if he was being pulled into a tornado. He turned around and tried to walk away form it, but he only got pulled towards it with each step he tried to take.

Aaron suddenly tripped, and fell to the ground. Aaron grabbed a the rock that he was sitting on as his whole body pulled towards the phenomena. The guitar case slipped out of his hands and flew into the phenomena, disappearing with a flash. Aaron groaned and held on to the rock.

A large piece of rock came lose from somewhere in front of Aaron and hit him in the face as it flew towards the phenomena. Aaron instantly lost consciousness and flew into the phenomena, a large cut on his forehead. Aaron's unconscious body was tossed around like a rag doll in what looked like a large tunnel of colors with a light at the end. Aaron flew into that light.

Aaron then flew out of a similar phenomena, and onto a patch of grass next to a large lake in the view of a massive futuristic city. Aaron's guitar was only a few feet in front of him. Aaron remained unconscious, blood trickling down his face. The phenomena vanished a few minutes later.

Over the next few minutes, Aaron just lay there. Eventually, a large metal robot walked up to the body. After a few seconds of scanning Aaron's impassive form, the robot said, "SINGLE LONE HUMAN FOUND OUTSIDE THE CITY NEAR THE TIME RIFT. REQUESTING ORDERS DR. ROBOTNIK"

After a few seconds, the robot said "UNDERSTOOD, BRING HUMAN AND POSESSIONS TO ROBOTROPOLIS BASE." The robot then picked up Aaron and the guitar case and began to walk towards the city.

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_Meanwhile at the Freedom Fighter's headquarters in Knothole_.

Sonic was sitting in a chair eating a chili dog. Appearing anxious to hear some kind of news. Tails was standing next to Rotor, who was sitting in front of a computer. Antonie and Bunnie were standing behind Tails and Rotor. Sally was standing to the side, waiting to hear the news as well.

After a few minutes, Rotor turned around and said, "The time rift appeared about 10 miles south of Robotropolis. Something came through it. It looked like an Overlander and a guitar."

Sally and said, "Robotnik will likely try to turn this guy into another robot. We might not know who he is, but we should try to help him as soon as possible. We are going to need a plan." Rotor nodded and said, "I can get on that tonight. In the morning, we can call another meeting." Sally nodded and said, "Good, meet back here at about noon so we can lay out out plan." Sally then began to walk towards the door. Antonie watched her and asked, "And where are you going prinzess?" Sally smiled and said, "Daddy has requested that I talk to him. He's likely going to ask what we found out. Whatever came out of that time rift, we don't want Robotnik to have." Sally then left without a word.

Sonic stood up and said, "I'm gonna go out for a run, I need to get pumped up for tomorrow." Bunnie smiled at Sonic and said, "Excited for some action Sugah-hog?" Sonic smiled, she always called him that in a calm situation. "Yeah, something like that." Sonic replied.

Sonic then walked out of the headquarters and into Knothole. The city had many metal treehouses, and other houses on the ground level. Sonic then jumped from the railing and onto the ground. Sonic then began to run towards his house. _Robuttnik ain't gonna get his hands on another robot, but I have to wait till tomorrow. The last thing I want to do is to disobey the king again_.

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**Okay, there is the prolouge. I couldn't decide where to end it, so I thought this would be a good place. Well, let me know what you thought with a Review please!**


	2. The Plan

**Author's note- Okay, lets get on with Chapter 2. I'm just gonna throw this out there, the character I named Aaron will not resemble me in personality. I just couldn't think of any other name that would fit. **

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**Chapter 2- The Plan**

A happy mother and father were driving in the late evening, with their son and his girlfriend in the back seat. A lot of camping supplies and sleeping bags were stacked on the top of the small Ford Escort they were driving. The mother looked back at her son. "We should be home in about an hour, Aaron." the mother said.

Aaron nodded and said, "I'm not in a rush, you don't need to tell me." The mother shrugged and said, "I just thought you should know." Aaron sighed and looked out the window. They were driving through a heavily wooded area during the late evening. Aaron smiled and looked at the woman next to him. She had long brown hair that fell to her shoulders, and beautiful blue eyes. In the summer moonlight, her figure seemed to glow with an ominous beauty.

The girl smiled back at him. "What's so interesting, Aaron?" Aaron smiled and said, "Just admiring how gorgeous you are Alyson." Alyson hugged Aaron, pulling him into a tight embrace. "I love you." Alyson whispered. Aaron smiled and said, "I love you."

Aaron's dad then looked back. "Hey now, save it for when we get home. I don't want-" His sentence was cut off with a deafening _boom_!

Aaron woke with a start, jumping slightly from his nightmare. Aaron blinked a few times to try and remember what happened. Once it hit him that he went through some kind of portal, he started to look at where he was, or rather what he was in.

All Aaron could see was a light green liquid that bubbled around him. His brown hair fluttered when the bubbles would pass over his head. His arms were held out as if he was on a cross. His arms and legs hurt terribly. When he looked at them, all he could see was a shiny covering over his arms. _Wait, if I'm in water, how can I breath?_ Aaron thought to himself. It was just then that Aaron realized that he had a plastic breathing mask over his face.

His head was pounding, likely due to the fact that he was struck in the face with a rock before going through the portal. Aaron then started to hear muffled talking, one was somewhat high pitched, while the other was more ragged.

A figure then walked in front of Aaron. The figure was wearing some kind of red shirt and black pants. The man had a peculiar shape, almost like an egg. "Can you hear me? Speak into the breathing mask if you can." said the man through speakers that surrounded Aaron.

"Yeah, I can hear you. Where am I?" Aaron responded.

"You are in my lab at Robotropolis. I saved your life after you fell through that portal." the man replied.

"What portal? What's going on and who are you?" Aaron demanded.

"You fell through a portal that transported you here. After one of my robots found you broken and unconscious, I had it bring you here. Call me Dr. Robotnik." Robotnik replied.

Aaron looked at his arms again. "What happened to my arms?"

Robotnik pushed a few buttons on a console in front of him and said, "Your arms and legs were shattered when you were brought here. I am healing them for you. There were some effects of you going through the portal. Your DNA has shifted slightly. You are about a foot or two shorter. You guitar was brought here as well, its sitting right next to me. You should rest and recover, enough talking for today."

Robotnik then walked away from Aaron, a short man following him.

_What was that? What in the world is going on? A portal? To where? I-I don't know what to do. I....I guess I should trust him, he is trying to heal me after all._ With that, Aaron closed his eyes. Trying to rest as best as he could.

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_Meanwhile, back at Knothole_

Sonic was running through the woods of Knothole, he had only a few minutes before the meeting would start. _Sally's gonna take my head off if I'm late._ Sonic thought as he jumped over some fallen logs.

Sonic eventually ended up at the front door to the Freedom Fighter's headquarters. A single large tree house near the center of Knothole village. Sonic quickly walked inside, the whole gang was already there.

Sally checked her watch and said, "Right on time Sonic. I was starting to think you forgot." Sonic shrugged and said, "Nah, I was just-" Sally shook her head and said, "It's fine."

Sally then looked out to everyone else. "Now, Robotnik has tightened security on his base, and getting in would be near impossible through the front gates. Even sneaking in would be a challenge. But, Rotor found a way to get inside without being detected. The underground labs would need a source of air, there are vents that lead to the surface. Robotnik hasn't placed security around these. We found one of those ducts about 4 miles from Robotnik's base."

Sonic chuckled. "Pretty neglectful on Robuttnik's part. So we go in through one of these ducts, find this guy, and get out before Robuttnik even knows we are there."

Sally nodded, "That's pretty much it. I want each of you on standby in case we need you." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Sally then brought out her hand-held computer, Nicole, and said, "I've downloaded a map of the air ducts for Robotnik's base. We shouldn't get lost. The party to go in will consist of myself, and Sonic. Bunnie, we're gonna need your help to get in the air duct's."

Bunnie nodded and said, "Y'all can count on me." Sally smiled in response. "Tails, we need you to keep the plane ready to go in case we need a quick escape." Sally said to Tails. Tails nodded and said, "Got it Aunt Sally." Sally then turned to Antonie and said, "If things get messy, Sonic might need your help to fend off the Swat-bots." Antonie smiled and said, "You can count on moi." Sally then turned to Rotor and said, "Nicole will be broadcasting a signal directly into your computer. You can inform us of any bots, or even Robotnik that would be heading our way." Rotor nodded in response.

Sally then turned to Sonic and said, "Shall we?" Sonic nodded and stood up. "Ready when you are Sal." Sally smiled, its been a while since they have been on a mission together. Sally then turned to Tails and said, "We'll radio you if we need you Tails." Tails nodded and said, "I'll get the Tornado prepped up." Tails then walked out of the headquarters. Bunnie walked up to Sally and said, "I'll follow you two, I won't be long after you get there."

Sonic then brought his fist to his other hand and said, "Then lets go! We got someone to save." Sally nodded in response and walked outside the headquarters. Sally picked up a roll of rope on the way out. "Whats the rope for Sally?" Sonic questioned. Sally turned to Sonic and said, "We're going to need a way to hold onto him so we can get out. We don't want to drop him." Sally then began to walk out of the headquarters. Sonic followed her and said, "So, 4 miles from Robuttnik's base? What direction?"

"South, heading towards the waterfall at the lake." Sally replied. Sonic nodded and picked up Sally. "Ready to go?" Sally smiled and nodded. Sonic then took off towards the lake, Sally in his arms. Bunnie was following while carrying Antonie.

Sally smiled as the wind rushed through her hair. She loved being in Sonic's arms like this, she loved being in his arms period. When Sonic had a hold of her, Sally knew she was safe. Sally rested her head on Sonic's shoulder and relaxed. Sonic just smiled and kept running.

Within about 15 minutes, Sonic and Sally reached the vent. It was quite large, square shaped and about six feet from side to side. A tight metal filter was over it, Sonic couldn't even fit his finger through the gaps in the metal sheets. Sonic set Sally down and said, "Is this it?" Sally nodded and said, "We should wait for Bunnie, this is where we need her."

A few minutes later, Bunnie appeared. Bunnie ran by extending her robotic legs. Once Bunnie was at the vent, she set down Antonie. Antonie's hair was windswept, and he appeared sick. Sonic laughed and said, "Feeling under the weather, Ant?" Antonie shook his head and said, "Just a bug. Sally, what does Bunnie have to do with zis vent?"

Sally smiled and said, "The vent is plated steel, we need Bunnie to open it for us." Bunnie smiled and said, "Right away Sally." Bunnie then grabbed one side of the vent and lifted it up, stripping the screws and pulling the filter free. Antonie smiled and said, "Where would we be wizout you Bunnie?" Bunnie smiled and said, "Not very far honey. It's all yours guys, good luck to ya."

Sonic then looked down the vent. The vent went down at an angle, creating a slope. Sonic looked at Sally and said, "How are we getting back up?" Sally smiled and pulled out what looked like a grappling hook attached to a gun. "This grappling hook will support a lot of weight, and the metal wire stretches out for miles. We can use this to get back up." Sally then hooked the hook onto the edge of the metal vent, securing a firm hold on the metal.

Sally then held out a hand. "Lets go Sonic." she said. Sonic grabbed hold of Sally's hand and smiled. "Lead the way Sal." Sally and Sonic then jumped down the vent, Sally held onto the grappling line and began to lower both her and Sonic down slowly.

Over the next few minutes, Sally slowly lowered herself and Sonic into Robotnik's base. Sally then looked at Sonic and said, "My hands are a bit full, can you get Nicole for me? I need to see the map." Sonic nodded and said, "Alright, hang on." Sonic then reached around Sally, searching for Nicole. Sonic was careful not to grab anything that he shouldn't. Sonic tried to hold back a blush, as did Sally. Eventually, he found the hand-held computer and pulled it out of Sally's pocket.

Sonic flipped it open. "Nicole, can you bring up the map of Robotnik's air vents?" The computer buzzed for a sec before replying, "Of course Sally, one moment." A few seconds later, the map of the vents appeared on Nicole's screen. Sonic held up Nicole so that Sally could see the screen. A blinking red dot on the map showed where they were.

"You are about 20 feet from the nearest exit Sally. Be advised, the vent gets smaller as you approach it." Nicole stated. Sally nodded and said, "We will check there first. If things are quite, we will start there." Sonic nodded and said, "Then lets find this vent."

As Nicole said, the vent was directly below them. The vent shrunk down to about three feet across now, making things tight for Sonic and Sally. The vent below them was covered in the same material as the one above, only not as thick. Sonic looked down at it, they were still about 10 feet above it. "I'll open that vent up."

Sonic then let go of Sally's hand and dropped towards the vent. Sonic began to do his trademark spin dash as he fell towards the vent. The vent popped out instantly as Sonic struck the vent. The vent banged off the floor a few times as Sonic landed on the hard metal floor. Sally slowly lowered herself down as she looked around the room. They appeared to land in a storage center. Scrap metal and other junk lay piled to the walls. Sally smiled and said, "That was reckless. We didn't even know if this room was occupied." Sonic shrugged and said, "But it isn't, so I guess its fine right?"

Sally sighed and said, "I guess so, but be more careful from now on. We don't want to alert Robotnik that we are here." Sonic nodded and said, "Right, a stealthy approach. So, where do we need to go from here?" Sally looked at Nicole again. After a few minutes, Sally looked up at Sonic and said, "The best place to search would be the roboticizer chamber. I just hope we aren't too late. We need to take a left after this room, that should take us straight to it."

Sonic nodded. "Lets go." Sally held up a hand and said, "Wait a sec, Robotnik will likely have cameras watching the area. Nicole is armed with a small electromagnetic burst that will disable the cameras long enough for Rotor to hack the cameras."

Sally then pulled out a small earpiece with a microphone attached to it. Sally then placed it into her ear and said, "We are in position Rotor, are you ready?" After a few seconds, Rotor replied. "All set, ready for hacking."

Sally then walked towards the door and opened it slightly. Sally then placed Nicole at the front of the door. "Now Nicole." Sally whispered. After a few seconds, Sally heard Rotor say, "Cameras hacked, the area is clear. No bots in sight."

Sally smiled and looked at Sonic. "Now we can go." Sally said. Sonic nodded and walked out of the storage area with Sally. They turned left and continued to walk down the hallway. Every corner, Sally would have Nicole disable any potential cameras, soon to be hacked by Rotor. After the 5th corner, the door to the lab was within a few feet.

"Hold on a sec, I'm counting three patrol bots heading your way. Hide behind that wall." Rotor said over the communicator. Sally grabbed Sonic by the arm and ran to the other side of the nearest wall just as a three patrol Swat-bots rounded the corner three hallway's down. The bots walked towards them before turning and walking into the next hallway. After a few minutes, the communicator buzzed. "All clear." Rotor said.

Sonic and Sally nodded as they opened the door to the lab. Sally had the cameras disabled before they walked inside. There were three of them in there. Once Rotor hacked them, Sally and Sonic walked inside.

Inside was a large glass chamber sitting over a large machine. This was the Roboticizer, Robotnik's creation that turns flesh to metal in a matter of seconds. It was empty though. Sally looked around and noticed a glass tube about 8 feet wide filled with a bubbling green liquid. Sally walked up to it and saw what looked like an Overlander. He had brown hair, and was only wearing shorts. Torn and ragged clothes were sitting to the side.

"That's him Sally, get him out of there." Rotor said over the communicator. Sally nodded and waved at Sonic. "Over here, he's here." Sonic walked over and looked at the man. "This is him? It looks as if Robotnik hasn't done anything to him yet....wait, what's that?" Sonic said as he pointed towards the man's arms. Sally looked more closely and gasped. The man's arms were covered in metal, only it wasn't like a usual robot. This metal was smooth, almost like a glove. His legs had the same metal, only they went up slightly past his knees. "Lets get him out of here."

Sally nodded and said, "First, lets get some information. Rotor, I'm going to plug Nicole into this machine, see what information you can dig up." Sally then pulled a chord out from the back of Nicole and plugged into a USB port. After a few minutes, Rotor replied. "Done, and we have a lot of it. This whole log explains what he was going to do to him."

After a few seconds of silence, the machine that held the man began to buzz. "Better hurry guys, Robotnik will be there in a few minutes." Rotor said in a panicked voice. Sally looked at Nicole and said, "Nicole, drain the liquid and open the tube so we can get him out of here."

"Of course Princess Sally." Nicole replied. A few seconds later, the green liquid began to drain. As the water drained past the man's head, he began to slump towards the bottom of the tube. Eventually, all of the water was drained. The glass then lifted up, allowing the man to fall to the floor. Sonic caught him and said, "Hey, are you alright?" After a few seconds, the man stirred.

Eventually, he opened his eyes. "Wha.....who are....." The man then looked at his arms, shocked to find them transformed. "What....happened to my-" Sonic shook his head and said, "No time to explain. Can you stand?" The man shifted so that he was on his knees and slowly heaved himself to his feet. His legs were shaking violently as he stood. The man then shook his head and said, "I can't....walk by myself.....yet..ugh." The man then fell to his hands and knees. Sonic grabbed his shoulder and helped him to his feet. "I'll help you walk. We have to get you out of here." Sonic told the man.

The man coughed and said, "The guitar.....bring it with....us." Sally then noticed the black guitar case sitting at the side. She ran over and picked it up. "Lets get out of here. It won't be long before Robotnik gets here." Sally stated.

Sally then heard Rotor say, "You got about five minutes to get out of there unnoticed." Sally nodded and said to Rotor, "Call Tails and tell him to get the plane ready, we're going to need a quick exit." Sally then looked outside the door. "All clear, lets get out of here while we can." Sally said. Sally then walked over to the man and helped Sonic carry him.

Sonic nodded and began to help the man out of the room. On the way through the halls, the man was lost in confusion. _First I fall through a weird portal, my arms and legs are transformed into metal, and I am being shoulder carried by an anthro hedgehog with a squirrel leading him. What in the hell is going on?_

The man then looked at Sonic and said, "My name is Aaron." Sonic smiled and said, "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog. This here is Sally Acorn." Sally waved slightly as they neared the storage room. Sally then ran over to the grappling line that she left there and looked up the vent. Sally then pulled the rope off of her shoulder and wrapped it around Sonic and Aaron. She quickly tied the rope in a tight knot. Sally then grabbed Sonic by the waist and grabbed the grappling gun. "Hang on tight." Sally warned. Sonic then wrapped an arm around Sally's waist.

Sally then pushed a button on the gun, and the line began to retract, pulling Sally, Sonic, and Aaron up through the vent. Within about 5 minutes, they reached the surface. Tails's plane was ready and waiting. Tails had upgraded the plane from a bi-plane, to a small jet capable of holding the whole team and a few more if they had to.

Tails was already outside of the plane as well. Tails ran over to the three and said, "The alarms went off just a few seconds before you reached the surface. Robotnik knows that he's gone. We need to get out of here fast."

Sally nodded and handed the guitar case to Tails. "Put that in the jet. Once we get on board, take off!" Sally ordered. Tails nodded and ran inside the jet. Sonic, Sally, and Aaron were not far behind. Once the jet's door was shut, Tails took off. Sally and Sonic then helped Aaron to the nearest bed. They set him down and covered him.

Aaron looked up at Sally and said, "Just what's going on here?" Sally smiled and said, "I'll explain in a few minutes, we need to get you safe first."

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**Wow, that was much longer than I had first thought it would be. Okay, the next chapter should be soon. Review!**


	3. TMMO

**Author's note- Okay, got a pretty big chapter coming up here. This one will explain the situation, and we will learn a thing or two about Aaron's arms and legs. **

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**Chapter 3- T.M.M.O.**

Sirens were buzzing loudly inside Robotnik's lab, a red light at every corner was flashing brightly.

Robotnik was in the Main Control room, large computer monitors were placed side by side. Keyboards were in front of every one of the monitors. Robitnik had a furious look on his face. "You incompetent, useless, piles of rust! You're telling me that even though the signals on the security cameras were faulting for a moment, you didn't see it as a possible threat?!?" Robotnik shouted at his security bots.

One of the bots buzzed for a few seconds. "CONFIRMED. THE FAULTERING OF THE CAMERAS WAS SEEN AS A MINOR THREAT. CAMERA RECORDINGS ARE STORED IN MEMORY BANKS OF THE SECURITY MAINFRAME." the bot said in a monotonous tone.

Robotnik groaned, placing a hand to his chin. "Play those recordings," Robotnik stated. "They might tell us what happened."

The bot turned around and started typing on one of the keyboards. One of the computer monitors then began to play the recording. A large metal door labeled 'storage area' was visible. Sally and Sonic then appeared, supporting Aaron by the shoulders. Sally opened the door and walked inside with Sonic and Aaron.

Robotnik's face turned bright red. "Why does that meddlesome hedgehog and his pep squad have to interfere with my plans?" Robotnik said as he punched the nearest wall. Robotnik then pulled his fist back and began to shake it. "OWWWW ow ow ow oww!"

The door to the Main Control room opened, and Snively, Robotnik's nephew, walked inside. Snively pressed his fingers together nervously. "Ummm, Dr. Robotnik, it appears that the Tornado landed about 4 miles south of the base. They took off a few minutes later, with the subject on board."

Robotnik groaned again and said, "Check the landing site. If there is any way they could have gotten into the lab, I want it locked down tight! Trip-wires, thermal cameras, whatever you can to make sure no one gets down there again!"

Snively nodded and said, "There was also a file that was copied inside the date mainframe in the lab."

Robotnik sighed and said, "No matter, we know where he is now. He will be at that wretched Knothole Kingdom."

Snively stared up at his uncle. "What do you plan to do?"

Robotnik thought for a few seconds before saying, "I'm going to work on that. If we are going to get back the T.M.M.O., then we are going to need to approach this tactically."

* * *

_Meanwhile on the Tornado_

The Tornado was dead silent. No one spoke after the plane took off. Tails was in the driver's seat, Sally and Sonic were sitting next to each other, and Antonie and Bunnie were sitting at a nearby table. Tails eventually let out a sigh of relief. "We are out of Robotnik's range. We're safe now."

Sally leaned back, appearing relieved. "That's good to hear Tails. Nice flying."

Tails smiled and said, "Did you get him out of there?"

Sonic nodded and said, "Yeah. But we could have came sooner. His arms and legs look different. Whatever Robotnik did to him, it wasn't a normal case of Robotization."

Sally nodded and said, "We should talk to him. He's gonna want some answers."

Sonic nodded and stood up. "Then lets talk to him."

Sally nodded and stood up with Sonic and walked towards the resting area in the back. Sally looked at Sonic. "Nicole was able to get some files from Robotnik's mainframe. Maybe that will tell us what he was planning?" Sonic shrugged and said, "Maybe. Robotnik usually kept logs of his experiments stored somewhere." Sally nodded and continued towards the resting area with Sonic. Aaron was already sitting up in his bed, running one of his hands over his arm.

Sally walked in first and gave Aaron a slight wave. "How are you feeling?" Sally asked.

Aaron shrugged in response. "Better I suppose. My arms and legs, do you know what happened to them?"

Sally shook her head and said, "We got a log entry from Robotnik's computer. We're going to analyze the data when we get back." Aaron nodded and pinched his arm. He winced slightly from the pain.

Aaron shook his head, appearing bewildered. "It's strange, even though my arms and legs look like they are made of smooth metal, they feel like skin. I feel with them, I feel pain with them, I can even feel my pulse on my arm."

Sonic ran his finger over one of Aaron's arms. "You're right, it does feel like normal skin."

Aaron nodded, but remained silent. After a few minutes, Sally sat down next to Aaron and said, "I suppose your wanting an explanation?"

Aaron nodded and said, "A few things. One, who was that Robotnik guy? Two, who are you guys? And three, Where am I?"

Sally nodded and started to answer Aaron's questions. "Robotnik is an evil mechanical scientist bent on taking over the world and turning all the people into robot slaves. We are the Freedom Fighters. A group that fights against Robotnik's tyranny. The Freedom Fighters serve under the King of Knothole, my father, King Maximilian."

Aaron looked up in surprise. "Your father? Your a princess?" Sally nodded and said, "I am next in line for the throne. Now, as for where you are, you are on the planet Mobius."

Aaron sighed and said, "So much has happened, I am just utterly confused. I'm Aaron Morevah. My planet is Earth."

Sonic looked up in surprise. "Earth? Wasn't that the previous name for Mobius, Sally?" Sally nodded and said, "That's what the Xorda said."

Aaron sighed again. "So, according to what you just said, I have been flung into the future?" Sonic shrugged and said, "Sounds like it."

Aaron then leaned back on the bed. "Great. Just great. What am I gonna do now? Where can I go from here?" Sally smiled and said, "We can provide you with food and shelter." Aaron nodded.

Aaron eventually sat up and said, "So, who are the other guys out there?" Sonic smiled and said, "The two-tailed fox piloting the plane is Tails. The coyote that's dressed weird is Antonie. He might have a stuck up personality, but he's a good guy once you get to know him. The rabbit is Bunnie. She has metal arms and legs because we rescued her from Robotnik years ago. She has a country accent, and is a nice gal."

Aaron pointed at Sonic. "What about you? I barely know a thing about you." Sonic smiled and said, "I'm Sonic. Over the past decade, I've saved Mobius several times." Aaron chuckled slightly and said, "A real hero huh? I....I need a moment to take this all in. Can I be left alone for a while?"

Sally nodded and said, "Of course. Oh, and we'll get you some better clothes when we land at Knothole." Sally then stood up and grabbed Sonic's wrist. Sally and Sonic then left the resting area, heading back to the cockpit.

Bunnie looked at the two. "So, how's he doin?" Sally shrugged slightly and said, "Just a bit...overwhelmed. Learning all he has is a shock to him."

Bunnie nodded before saying, "What about his arms and legs?" Sally shrugged again and replied, "He says they feel like real arms. That's about it."

Antonie looked back towards the resting area and said, "I 'ave never seen metal like zat before. It'z almost like he eez wearing a metal glove over his arm."

Sonic then looked at Sally and said, "Maybe we should look at that data you got from Robotnik's computer?" Sally nodded and placed Nicole on the nearest table. "Nicole, can you bring up the data file we obtained from earlier?"

A reply came a few seconds later. "There is an audio file, I'm going to play it now."

After a few seconds, Robotnik's voice could be heard from Nicole's speakers.

"The procedure is going as planned. The subject's DNA is combining with the Mercury based metal. After reconstructing his arms so they can support the transformations, I began to blend his DNA with the metal. If my calculations are correct, his DNA will fully join with the metal, creating a skin-like coating over the robotic arms and legs. If all goes according to plan, he will be able to transform his arms to certain objects at will. Right now, there is the guns, swords, hacking probe, and extended reach functions. The skin will act as the skeleton to these objects. If any of the skin would be taken off, it will regrow in a matter of 10 seconds. If he uses too much, and depletes his reserves, his arms and legs will lock into place till the metal regenerates. I have named the project the T.M.M.O project, or the Transformable Molecular Metal Organism. Within a few days, the procedure will be complete, and I can finally flatten that Knothole Kingdom into dust."

A few seconds of silence indicated that the log had ended. Tails heard the log as well. "The T.M.M.O. project? Organic metal?" Tails questioned.

Sonic scratched his head. "That's a big step, even for Robotnik."

"When are we gonna show him zee log?" Antonie asked.

"No need. I heard the whole thing." said a voice from the back. Everyone turned around to see Aaron standing in the doorway. "You guys aren't very good at keeping things quite." Aaron said with a touch of amusement."

Sally walked over to Aaron and said, "You shouldn't have heard that yet. You weren't ready to hear that." Aaron shook his head. "I'm fine. I now know who my enemy is. I guess I should thank you. When are we gonna be at this Knothole place?"

Tails looked back and replied, "We should be there in about 10 minutes."

Aaron nodded and walked back into the resting area, shutting the door behind him. Sally sighed and said, "We shouldn't have looked at the log here."

Sonic shook his head, "I don't think so. I think Aaron was kinda relieved to hear what happened to him." Sally rubbed her arms and said, "I just don't him to have a breakdown or something." Sonic smiled and said, "Don't worry. I bet he'll be fine." Sally then walked over to Tails.

"I need to get in contact with daddy. Can you get a hold of him Tails?" Sally asked. Tails then began to push some buttons on the console. "If he is in the communications room, which he almost always is, he should answer."

After a few seconds, a tv screen lowered itself from the ceiling above Tails. The king was visible on the screen, appearing surprised. "Hello Tails, I trust the operation was successful?" Tails nodded. "A-ok your majesty. Sally asked me to contact you."

The king the looked up at Sally. "Is that so? What did you want to talk about Sally?" asked the king. Sally looked at her father and said, "Could you please get some clothing to the airport. Aaron is only about a foot taller than me." The king looked at Sally questioningly. "Aaron? Who is that?"

Sally smiled and said, "The guy we rescued from Robotnik. That's his name. Also, Robotnik did something to his arms. I'll let you look at the data we got while infiltrating Robotnik's base." The king nodded and said, "Alright, I'll see you soon my daughter." Sally nodded in response and said, "See you soon daddy." The television screen then went blank as the king cut the call.

Sally looked back at everyone and said, "I bet he'll be there when we get back. He's gonna want to see Aaron for himself." Sonic sighed and said, "Oh great, more royal lectures." Sally placed her hands on her hips and said, "Is there something wrong with Royalty?"

Sonic shook his head. "Not you. Your awesome Sal." Sally smiled and shook her head. "Your awesome too Sonic." she replied. Sonic gave a thumbs up in response.

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**Okay, chapter three is finished. Next chapter will be what happens after the group lands at Knothole. Review!**


	4. Introductions

**Author's note- Heya! Sorry for the long wait. My grandmother passed away last Saturday and I haven't had much time to get on the computer. Well, here is the next chapter. Enjoy.**

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**Ch. 4- Introductions**

Aaron sat in the room he was given on Tails's plane. He was trying to figure everything out so far, lost in thought and confusion. _Time portals, animals that walk on two legs, a mad robotics scientist who has changed my very body. This is way too confusing._

Aaron rested his head against his hands. The only real difference in his arms that he could tell, is that his bones felt harder, and a bit heavier. Aaron looked up at his hands. The smooth chrome colored metal sparked a bit of interest in Aaron.

Aaron then felt a pang of anger. "I'm a freak. A twisted lab experiment who's purpose was not yet known."

_Meanwhile with Sonic and the others._

Sonic sat in his usual chair by one of the windows. Sally sat next to him, a look of concern on her face. Sonic looked over at Sally and noticed this expression. "Is something wrong Sal?" Sonic asked.

Sally looked up at Sonic, before looking back down to her lap. "It's nothing, Sonic. Nothing you need to worry about."

Sonic shrugged and looked back out the window. Knothole Kingdom was within sight, they would arrive in a few minutes. Tails then pressed a few buttons on front of him and put on a set of headphones with a mic attached. Tails spoke something into the mic, but Sonic couldn't hear him due to the rumble of the engine.

Tails eventually took off the headphones and looked back at Sally. "King Max is at the airport waiting for us. The queen and Geoffrey St. John is there too."

Sally looked up and smiled. "Figures daddy brings Geoffrey along."

Sonic then looked at Sally again. "I thought that skunk hated humans?"

Sally shrugged at Sonic, appearing just as confused as Sonic.

A few minutes later, Tails landed the jet safely inside the airport. The airport wasn't used for commercial purposes. It was mainly used for supply transportation and the Freedom Fighter's jet.

Sally stood up when they landed and walked towards the entrance of the jet. Tails opened the door. The door that Sally was standing at opened, and a staircase revealed itself from underneath Sally. Sally turned around and wove at Sonic for him to walk with her. Sonic quickly stood up and stood next to her. Sally then began to walk out of the plane, followed by Sonic.

The king, queen, and Geoffrey were standing just within 50 feet of the jet. The king wore his usual attire. An blue uniform with gold epaulettes, a red cape, and a large crown on his head. Queen Alicia wore her usual red-brown dress. Geoffrey St. John wore his usual purple cap, gloves, and boots. He also wore his usual red sash across his chest and waist.

Sally walked up to King Acorn and gave him a hug. Queen Alicia joined the two. Sonic walked up to Geoffrey. Geoffrey looked at Sonic.

"I hope that the mission went as planned?" Asked Geoffrey.

Sonic nodded. "No problem. We went in, got the guy, and got out before Robuttnik knew we were there. I just wish I could have seen the look on his face."

Geoffrey nodded silently and looked back at Sally. Eventually, the family broke the embrace. Sally then held out her hand for Geoffrey to shake.

"Hello Geoffrey. How's Hershey?" Sally asked.

Geoffrey took Sally's hand and shook it. "Hello Princess. Hershey's doing alright. She's back at the castle with the other teammates." Geoffrey stated.

Sally nodded and looked back at King Acorn. "Did you bring some clothes for Aaron to wear?"

King Acorn nodded and looked at Geoffrey. Geoffrey handed a stack of clothes that were sitting next to him to Sonic.

"Could you please take those to Aaron, Sonic?" Sally asked.

Sonic nodded. "Sure, be back in a sec." Sonic then ran inside the jet, re-appearing within 5 seconds.

King Acorn then looked at Sally. "So, anything about this Aaron we should know?"

Sally nodded slowly. "His arms and lower legs have been changed. But it's not like the others. The metal actually has bonded with the DNA in his skin. Sonic and I took a log from Robotnik's computer before we left that told us what he was trying to do."

King Acorn nodded in response. Queen Alicia took a step forward. "What kind of animal is he?"

Sally shifted slightly before saying, "He isn't an animal, but a human."

Sonic saw Geoffrey look up slightly as Sally spoke.

Alicia looked at Sally in surprise. "A human? I don't think the citizens are going to be happy with that."

King Acorn shook his head. "Not at all. Some didn't treat Nate well. And the fact that Robotnik has altered him will make things more difficult."

Sally nodded. "That's what I've been worried about."

The King nodded slightly and said, "We will provide a room for him inside the castle where he will be safe. He shouldn't leave the castle without an escort." Queen Alicia and Sally nodded in agreement. Geoffrey just stood with his arms crossed and staring at the ground in front of him.

The King then looked up at the jet when movement caught his eye. Tails, Antonie, and Bunnie walked out of the jet and stood near Sonic. Shortly after, Aaron walked out of the jet. He was wearing a blue shirt, and blue jeans. The jeans appeared a bit small for him. He also had shoes. He was also carrying his guitar.

Aaron walked out of the jet, metal arms gleaming in the sunlight. Aaron walked up to the King and bowed in respect. The king held up his hand and said, "No need for the traditional formalities. I take it you are Aaron?"

Aaron stood up and nodded. "Yes I am. And I take it you are the king of this area right?"

King Acorn nodded and said, "Indeed I am. I am King Maximilian Acorn." King Acorn then placed an hand on Queen Alicia's shoulder. "This is my wife, Queen Alicia Acorn." The Queen held out her hand and shook Aaron's hand. King Acorn then looked over at Geoffrey and said, "And this is Geoffrey St. John. He is one of my best soldiers, and a good friend." Geoffrey nodded at Aaron.

Queen Alicia then looked back at Aaron. "We will have a room prepared for you."

Aaron looked up at the King. "I thank you for your hospitality."

Around a half an hour later, the whole group arrived at the city on foot. Aaron took in the sights.

"Quite a kingdom you have here, your majesties." Aaron stated.

King Acorn nodded. "Yes, things have been very peaceful even though we are at war."

Aaron turned towards the King. "War? With that Robotnik guy?"

King Acorn nodded. "For over a decade we have been at conflict with him. If it wasn't for Sonic, we would have fallen to his iron rule long ago."

Aaron then looked over at Sonic. "A real hero huh? Must be nice to protect those you love eh?"

Sonic nodded and looked over at Sally briefly. "I have a personal bone to pick with Robuttnik. He's done too much damage over the years." Sonic stated. Aaron smiled slightly and kept looking around.

The city was so quite. The people nearby seemed so happy; carefree and going about their daily lives. The many streets in the forest city were bustling with parents and their children playing in the streets. Nearby vendors calling out what they have to sell. A nearby couple walking hand in hand.

Although, strange glances were cast at Aaron now and then. It didn't surprise him, but he decided not to question it until later.

Aaron then looked at Bunnie, noticing her robotic arms and legs. "If it's alright if I ask, but did Robotnik try to turn you into a robot too?" Aaron asked Bunnie.

Bunnie nodded in response. "About ten years ago. Sugah-hog saved me from turnin into one of Robotnik's slaves. It ain't all bad though, I meet Antonie." Bunnie said with a smile. Antonie blushed slightly and held Bunnie's hand. Bunnie smiled and kissed Antonie's cheek.

Around ten minutes later, they arrived at the castle. It looked like any other medieval castle, large towers made of stone, and a square foundation.

Aaron then noticed something. "I have a question. You use jets as a means of transportation, yet you don't use cars or trucks."

Queen Alicia answered this one. "We don't use vehicles because they would use fossil fuels. The Kingdom of Knothole is opposed to using such pollution methods. We use Power Rings to power our aircraft. Using one power ring would be a waste on a vehicle like a car. That, and Power Rings are hard to come by."

"Power Rings?" Aaron asked.

Queen Alicia nodded. "Yes, a source of energy that doesn't create fossil fuels. Aren't there power rings where you come from?"

Aaron shook his head. "No, back at home we have other sources of power. Hydro power, Electricity, Solar, Oil, and the big one, Nuclear energy."

Sally looked at Aaron as he said this. "Nuclear energy? Isn't that dangerous? That's what Eggman uses isn't it?"

"It is, but there are people who know what they are doing working the plants. Meltdowns happen very very rarely. There hasn't been a single one in my lifetime that I know of." Aaron explained.

King Acorn started to scratch his chin. "Where are you from Aaron?"

Aaron sighed slightly. "I live in a small house outside Springfield Illinois, on planet Earth."

King Acorn shot a quick glance at Sally. Sally nodded and tapped on her wrist as if a watch was there. King Acorn got the message. Aaron is from the past. "Interesting. How were things when you left?"

Aaron chuckled slightly. "Not good. Countries were at war, my countries economy was steadily falling. My country is also up to their ears in debt with another country. Things are in bad shape."

King Acorn paused for a moment before speaking again. "A war? Why?" Aaron smiled and said, "It started as a terrorist attack. Thousands were killed in the attack. Not long after, my president declared war on the country that was harboring the man responsible. A few years later, we found the guy. He was executed shortly after. But the war rages on to end terrorism."

King Acorn thought for about a minute. "A war to end terrorism? Sounds like a noble effort. Why did this terrorist attack your country?"

Aaron smiled. "None really know. Some say it was for money, some say it was because the president and the terrorist leader got in an argument over some political matters. But I would say its because of religion. That's what it is most of the time. By what I have come to understand from the other countries religion, if anyone doesn't follow it, they should be killed. That makes the majority of the world their enemy."

King Acorn looked back at Aaron in surprise. "You seem to know what your talking about. Are you a political figure?" Aaron laughed and shook his head. "No, I've just a lot of time to think nowadays."

King Acorn nodded in response. "What kind of government does your country run?" asked King Acorn.

Aaron thought for a second. "A Social Contract Democracy. Basically, the rules are written on paper after being approved by a majority vote of a cabinet. If I would guess your government, I would say a Blood-line Monarchy?"

The King nodded. "Close. We also don't make whatever laws we wish. The laws have to benefit the people, and not just the royal family or military."

The group then walked into the castle, arriving later in the communications room. Inside was a large tree with several monitors on it. Sitting in a chair in front of a large computer was a walrus. The walrus turned around and waved at the group. Sonic was the one to speak first. "Heya Rotor. Nice job on the support. Missions rarely go that smooth."

Rotor nodded. "Luckily, most of Robotnik's patrol was on the surface. It just goes to show that Robotnik can't see everything." Rotor then saw Aaron. "And you must be Aaron?" Said Rotor as he stood up and walked towards him.

Aaron nodded and held out a hand. "Yes. And I would guess your name is Rotor?"

Rotor shook Aaron's hand, staring at the strange metal for a few seconds. Aaron noticed this and smiled. "I know, its weird. I don't know much of it myself."

Rotor nodded and said, "We might be able to figure out more. We know someone, Sonic's uncle. He knows quite a bit about Robotnik's machines. He can probably tell you more if you let him analyze it."

Aaron nodded. "Yeah, we'll see."

King Acorn then pointed at the monitors on the tree. "This is the communications room. From here, we can monitor all activities in the kingdom. And with Rotor's computer, we can provide support to anyone on the field if they have the right equipment. The monitors on the tree allow us to contact other areas."

Aaron inspected the room and nodded. "This is a lot like what my country has, only we don't use a tree." King Acorn nodded and said, "Yes, we actually send the signal through the earth."

King Acorn then looked back at Aaron. "We can give you a brief tour of the castle if you would like. You can use one of the guest rooms until you can find a permanent home."

Aaron shook his head. "No, I really need to rest after today. I'll look around tomorrow if that's alright?"

Queen Alicia nodded. "Of course, we understand. Geoffrey, would you kindly escort Aaron to one of the guest rooms?"

Geoffrey nodded silently and began to walk towards the door. "Follow me." he said.

Aaron nodded and began to walk after Geoffrey. "I'll see you later then." Aaron said to the group as he walked out.

Once Aaron was gone, Sally turned to the King. "What do you think?" Sally asked.

The King scratched his chin before saying, "He's well-mannered. He will be alright, as long as he doesn't cause any trouble. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I would like to hear that log you mentioned earlier."

Sally nodded and opened up Nicole. "Please play the log again, Nicole." Sally said.

The log then repeated, explaining what Robotnik intended to do with Aaron, and what has happened to him. After the log finished, the king appeared a bit pale. "Metal that can bond with his DNA. TMMO, the Transformable Molecular Metal Organism. It's almost hard to believe that Robotnik would do that to someone."

Sonic then spoke up. "If Robotnik is willing to do this to people, we really need to watch him closely. The last thing we want is for Robotnik to have an army of these TMMO's."

Sally nodded. "I agree with Sonic. We need to watch his actions closely."

The King thought for a second before saying. "It's true, we should try to stop Robotnik from creating more TMMO's, but that will be difficult. For now, we should be focusing on thwarting Robotnik's plans to create more machines for his cause."

Sally nodded silently, as did Sonic. King Acorn then smiled and said, "You have had enough for one day. Take a rest Freedom Fighters, you have earned it."

Sally nodded and looked at the group. Tails was already on the way out. Rotor went back to his computer, and Antonie and Bunnie were heading out as well.

Sonic then began to walk out of the communications room. Sally followed him, trying to catch up with him. Just as Sonic was heading out of the main doors, Sally placed a hand on his shoulder. "Got anything planned Sonic?"

Sonic nodded and said, "I'm gonna go see Uncle Chuck about Robotnik's new tech to see if he knows anything about it."

Sally smiled at Sonic. "Mind if I tag along? I got nothing else to do." Sonic smiled and said, "Sure Sal, we can go together."

Sonic then picked up Sally and began to run towards Chucks house. Sally smiled and rested her head on Sonic's shoulder.

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**That's where I'm gonna end it for now. Once again, I apologize for the long wait. I had a lot of things come up. Review!**


	5. A Night Out

**Author's note- Heya! Two chapters in two days. Lets get this going. This chapter is gonna focus more on Sonic and Sally. Enjoy.**

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**Ch 5- A Night Out**

Sonic was carrying Sally to Chuck's house. The wind whipping through his quills always calmed him after a stressful day. And since he almost always runs, it's no wonder he's so cheerful most of the time. Sally was looking ahead, but the blur of colors made it hard to see. She could barely make out the images as they passed.

It took a few minutes to reach Chuck's house, which was a metal hut in one of the trees. Sonic skidded to a halt, leaving marks on the wooden floors in front of the door. Sonic set Sally down on her feet and knocked in the door.

Soon after, a blue hedgehog with large white bushy eyebrows and mustache opened the door. "Ah, Sonic my boy. How good to see you. And Princess Sally, its good to see you too."

Sally smiled and said "Hello Chuck. How are things?"

Chuck shrugged before saying. "Same as ever. Not much going on here. What brings you here though?"

Sonic placed a hand on his Uncle's shoulder. Have you ever heard of metal bonding with someone's DNA?"

Chuck thought for a second before shaking his head. "None that I have heard of. The concept would be complex, and difficult to pull off. Why do you ask?"

"Because Robotnik's managed to do that very thing, and we thought you would like to get some data from him." Sally stated.

Uncle Chuck looked at Sally in astonishment. "Robotnik? A molecular metal being? How?"

Sally shook her head. "That, we don't know. What we do know, is that the subject, Aaron, is a human from a different time period. He's at the castle now, resting."

Chuck placed a hand to his chin, thinking for a second. "What did Robotnik do to him? Describe the changes." Chuck questioned.

Sonic looked up slightly before saying, "His arms and lower legs look as if they are made of a smooth chrome. He even says that they feel like his real arms and legs. Apparently, Robotnik wanted to turn him into a TMMO, which is a Transformable......molecule...no wait, Molecular-" Sonic stuttered.

Sally giggled and finished his sentence. "A Transformable Molecular Metal Organism. According to the data we were able to gather, Aaron can transform his arms and legs into various tools. So far, all that was mentioned was a gun, sword, hacking probe, and extendable reach. That's all we know right now."

Chuck nodded while scratching his chin. "That is a new trick for Robotnik. A metal molecular being that can transform. It's almost hard to believe he's made it that far."

Sonic and Sally both nodded. Chuck then looked up at them and said, "I will need a DNA sample of his blood. It's likely that his blood has been altered in some way. If not, they I will need a small skin sample to collect the altered DNA."

Chuck looked back inside as if something caught his attention. "Oh no, I left the food on the skillet too long. I'll see you two later." Chuck then shut the door, leaving Sonic and Sally outside.

Sally turned to Sonic and said, "So, what now?"

Sonic shrugged and said, "Wanna go to the juice bar?"

Sally smiled and nodded. "Sure, sounds like fun."

Sonic then picked Sally up again and took off towards the heart of the city. The sun was starting to set, casting an orange glow over the city. Sally sighed at the serene beauty and snuggled close to Sonic. Sonic blushed slightly and kept running.

Not long after, they arrived at the juice bar. A regular hangout for teens. They had dances when night came along almost every day. When Sonic set Sally down, she grabbed his hand and walked inside, Sonic right next to her. The inside of the bar was bustling. Students out of school, and older couples sat in the seats.

Sonic and Sally walked up to the bar on the other end of the club and sat down. A raccoon walked up to them from behind the counter and said, "Good evening you two. What can I get ya?"

Sally looked at the menu and said, "I'll have a fruit punch please." Sonic quickly spoke after, "I'll have 3 of your chili dogs, and a fruit punch."

The bartender nodded and walked over to a nearby window that looked into the kitchen in the back. "I need a triple dog here!" The bartender then walked over to a large cabinet filled with many different kinds of drinking glasses. The raccoon pulled out two large glasses and filled them with fruit punch, followed by a few cubes of ice. The raccoon then placed the glasses in front of Sonic and Sally. "Your meal should be along shortly sir."

Sonic nodded and took a drink from his glass and looked out to the crowd. Sally smiled and placed her hand over Sonic's. Sonic smiled and held Sally's hand. A few minutes later, the bartender came out with a plate of three chili dogs. The bartender set the plate in between Sonic and Sally. "There you are. Enjoy." Sonic smiled and thanked the raccoon, handing him the money he owed him shortly after.

Sonic picked up one of the chili dogs and started to eat it. Sonic smiled and swallowed the food. "This place makes good chili dogs."

Sally smiled and looked back out to the crowd. Sonic looked at Sally while finishing the first chili dog. "You want one? You can have one." Sonic explained.

Sally smiled and shook her head. "No, you bought it."

Sonic smiled and held one of the chili dogs up to Sally. "Take it. I insist. You haven't eaten anything all day."

Sally paused for a moment, and took the chili dog. She took a bite of it. She admired the taste of the spicy chili mixed with the flavor of the hot dog. The bread provided a less intense taste that mellowed out the intensity of the other ingredients. Sally swallowed and smiled. "It's good. Thank you Sonic."

Sonic smiled and took another sip out of his glass. "No problem. I told you that you would like it."

Sally smiled and finished the chili dog. Sally then looked out to the crowd. A slower song was playing, teenage couples dancing romantically to the music. Sally almost felt jealous of them. Sally then looked over at Sonic, who was swallowing the last of the second chili dog.

Sonic then looked over at Sally and smiled. "What's up?" Sonic asked.

Sally smiled and said, "Nothing. It's just....should I be out here? I am a princess after all. I probably shouldn't be here."

Sonic shook his finger in front of Sally. "Nothing wrong with having some fun. Everyone has to unwind sometime. Even Geoffrey takes a day of now and then, and he's a hardcore soldier. Besides, whats the problem if you want to get out? I don't see anything wrong with it."

Sally smiled and blushed slightly. "Thanks Sonic. You're a good person."

Sonic then placed a hand on Sally's shoulder. "And you are a good woman. Just relax and enjoy the fun Sal."

Sally nodded and took a large gulp out of her glass. Over the next few minutes, Sonic and Sally talked. They talked about a lot of things, but mainly the past adventures they had. Both of them tried to avoid the negative sides of the conversation. Sally and Sonic eventually finished their drinks.

Sonic then got an idea as a song started to play. Sonic stood up in front of Sally and bowed slightly while holding out his hand. "May I have this dance?" Sonic asked with a fancy accent. Sally laughed and grabbed hold of Sonic's hand. "You may." Sally replied.

Sonic then lead Sally out to the center of the dance floor. Sally then placed an arm over Sonic's shoulder. Sonic placed a hand on Sally's back. The song wasn't fast, but it wasn't slow. Sonic and Sally then began to dance, eventually picking up the pace. They danced something similar to a tango. All Sonic could see was Sally's face. Her sparkling blue eyes kept his gaze locked. The deep love that Sonic felt for her rekindled, as did Sally's.

Only when the song ended, did Sally and Sonic realize that everyone gave them some room, leaving them alone on the dance floor. Once the song ended, everyone broke out into applause, causing Sonic and Sally to look around. Sonic blushed slightly as he realized he only focused on Sally. Sally smiled and laughed, her cheeks a bright red. Sonic and Sally gave a slight bow and walked to the bar they were at before.

Sally and Sonic sat down, out of breath. Sally smiled and looked at Sonic. "That was fun." Sonic nodded and scratched his head lightly. "Yeah, that was great. I didn't know you could dance like that."

Sally giggled. "Thank you. You're not too bad yourself." Sonic smiled and looked closely at Sally.  
Hey Sal, your blushing." Sonic said.

Sally blushed more and covered her face. "Am not." she said. Sonic laughed a bit and said, "Yeah you are, your face is bright red."

Sally shook her head and buried her face in her hands. "Oh stop it Sonic."

Sonic laughed and looked out the nearest window. "It's getting late. Maybe we should call it a night?" Sally sat up and nodded. "Yeah, daddy will probably start worrying soon." Sally stated.

Sonic and Sally then left the juice bar. The sun had set, and the moon was high in the sky, the stars glimmering like diamonds. Sonic then picked Sally up and began to run towards the castle. The cool night air gave Sally goosebumps, causing her to shiver. Sonic noticed this and held Sally closer. Sally smiled and cuddled up against Sonic, causing her to warm up a bit.

Within a few minutes, Sally and Sonic arrived at the castle. Sonic set Sally down and smiled. "Didja have fun?"

Sally nodded and said, "Yes I did. Thank you Sonic. I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

Sonic smiled. "Definitely."

Sally then hugged Sonic. Sonic wasn't expecting this, but hugged back. Just before they broke the embrace, Sally gave Sonic a quick kiss on the cheek. Sonic smiled and looked at Sally. Sally looked up at Sonic and smiled. "Now your the one blushing." Sally stated.

Sonic laughed and said, "Goodnight Sal. Sleep good."

Sally nodded and said, "You too Sonic. See you tomorrow."

Sally then turned around and walked up to the castle gates. Sally took one last look back before shutting the door behind her. Sonic smiled and started to run towards his house. _I still love her. I would do anything to protect her. That's why I can't be with her yet, as long as our enemies are alive, I am a target_. _And I can't put her in harms way._ Sonic thought to himself.

* * *

**And we are gonna end this chapter on that note. I thought a chapter with Sally and Sonic would be a good idea, so I did it. Review!**


	6. Robotnik's first strike

**Author's note- Sorry for the wait, I had trouble deciding how to place this chapter together. I can't really say how this is gonna go. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 6- Robotnik's first strike  
**

_A few days after Aaron's arrival at Knothole._

Robotnik was sitting at his main computer, typing furiously on the keyboard in front of him. Numerous data stream codes were scaling down the screen. Snively, Robotnik's nephew stood next to him watching his uncle work.

Robotnik kept on typing, sweat forming at his brow and a determined look in his face. Snively eventually tapped Robotnik on the shoulder and asked, "What are you doing, uncle?"

Robotnik kept on typing and replied, "I'm going to see if the TMMO is in Knothole. That will give me a start. I want to talk to him, but I have to bypass the security first so I can get in contact with that ridiculous kingdom."

Snively nodded and stepped back, letting Robotnik work.

_Meanwhile, back at Knothole_

King Acorn sat in the communications room, as he usually was, overlooking the events that took place recently. He was looking at a map with his other commanders, going over a plan of action against Robotnik. The king had been there for hours and was getting tired. Queen Alicia watched from King Acorn's side. Geoffrey St. John was standing near the doors, guarding as usual.

"We should speak to the other kingdoms and settlements nearby about taking down Robotnik. If we have more numbers, the greater our chances at taking down that madman." spoke one of the commanders.

King Acorn shook his head. "No," he explained, "No other areas are willing to work with us. Besides, most of the powerful areas are under Robotnik's control. I'll get in contact with the other kings and leaders of areas, but this will likely end on a tactical approach. We should-"

The king was interrupted as the screen they were standing in front of started to flicker. Eventually, the image was unrecognizable and static. The King looked up at the screen in confusion. "What's the meaning of this?" The king asked.

The screen flickered a bit more as a voice spoke through the speakers. "Even though you have been fighting me for a long time, you still haven't found a way to block me from the systems."

The King's heart almost skipped a beat as he recognized the voice. An image then started to appear on the screen. It was Dr. Robotnik. The King stood up in alarm and glared at Robotnik. "What's the meaning of this Robotnik? Why are you speaking to us?" King Acorn demanded.

Robotnik laughed confidently before saying, "I am here to speak to someone in particular. Let me speak to the TMMO, that's all I require and I will end this transmission."

King Acorn crossed his arms, thinking for a moment. "And if we refuse?" asked the king.

Robotnik grind evilly. "I am currently hacked into your computer mainframe. If you do not bring the TMMO here, I will delete all files and wipe your systems. You know what that will do, don't you?" asked Robotnik.

The King growled. Deleting all information and wiping the mainframe's memory will eliminate all means of defense. All the machines will shut down, communications will be lost, and Knothole will be incredibly vulnerable. They would have to start all over again, which can take months to reprogram.

King Acorn then turned to Geoffrey. "I hate to ask, but go get Aaron as soon as you can." Geoffrey nodded and hurried out of the room.

Robotnik laughed slightly. "Good choice, my friend."

King Acorn grunted and waited patiently for Geoffrey to return.

About 10 minutes later, Geoffrey entered the room, Aaron right behind him. Aaron looked over at the screen and grimaced. "That's why you brought me here?" Aaron said to Geoffrey.

Geoffrey glared at Aaron and said, "You should respect the King's wishes mate."

Robotnik smiled as they argued. "Now now, no need for harsh words. I'm only here to speak to you, Aaron. Come closer so I can see you."

Aaron hesitated, but walked forward till he was a few feet in front of the screen. He noticed the commanders staring at his arms. Aaron crossed his arms, trying to hide them. "What do you want old man?" asked Aaron.

Robotnik smiled. "I just want to tell you of your abilities, that's all."

Aaron shook his head. "There's more to it than that."

Robotnik shrugged before saying, "Aaaaand, I may have wanted to make sure you were at the Kingdom. But anyway, enough of that. Now, as you know your arms are made of a very special kind of metal. Metal that can regenerate and transform. I'm going to tell you how to use the abilities you have. You have the Hacking Probe, the Guns, the Sword, and the Extended Reach. It's simple to use really, all you have to do is think of the items you want to use, and your arms will transform. Your abilities are controlled by your brain."

Aaron listened intently, but confused about one thing. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked.

Robotnik leaned back in his seat and placed his hands together. "Because I want to see if my experiment worked. You are a primary asset to my plans."

Just as Aaron was about to reply, King Acorn stepped in front of him and said, "Alright Robotnik, you've had your talk. Leave the system."

Robotnik smiled and shook his head. "No, I don't think I will. While I have the chance, I think I will delete everything on your mainframe. Since when have I ever kept my word?" Robotnik sneered.

The image on the computer screen then blinked out, Robotnik's laughter filling the communications room. King Acorn growled and ran over to the mainframe and began typing on the computer. After a few seconds, King Acorn slammed his fists against the keyboard. "Grrrr, He's blocked us access to the mainframe."

Aaron then walked over to the computer and began typing on the keyboard, trying to get anywhere inside it. Every time he typed on the keys, a red light would flash on the screen. Suddenly, Robotnik appeared again on the screen. "I'll give you a hint, I didn't just tell you how to use your abilities for nothing." Robotnik then vanished again from the computer.

Aaron groaned slightly and thought about what Robotnik said. Eventually, something came to his mind. "Maybe I can use the hacking probe to stop him?" he asked the king.

The king nodded and pointed at the keyboard. "Give it a shot." he stated.

Aaron nodded and looked down at his hand. _Hacking Probe_. Aaron repeated these words several times in his head. The index finger of his right arm began to shimmer. Eventually, what looked like a USB plug formed from his fingertip. Aaron then looked around for a USB port, finding it next to the keyboard. Aaron inserted the probe into the port.

Instantly, Aaron's body went rigid, making him stand up straight. Numbers and letters flashed in front of his eyes, eventually showing him what looked like a tunnel of words. A voice rang through his head.

"Welcome, TMMO. If you are hearing this, you are attempting your first hack. This will be simple, find the program that you want to alter, and state what you want. The probe will do the rest. Good luck with Dr. Robotnik's gadgets."

Aaron smiled at the irony. "Find hostile program centered from an anonymous source." Aaron stated. His voice was more mechanized and electric, almost like he was talking through a speaker. Aaron saw the hostile program, it looked like an egg with arms and legs. "Delete program and repair all damage to Knothole Mainframe." Aaron stated.

The program then turned slightly, as if it saw Aaron and ran towards him. Not a few seconds later and the program vanished. "COMMAND COMPLETE." flashed in his eyes. Aaron then pulled the probe out of the computer. Just as he pulled out the probe, images flashed in his eyes and words rang though his head so fast that he couldn't tell what they were.

Aaron stumbled back slightly, head swimming. Disfigured images and blurred motions was all he could see. Muffled voices was all he heard. Aaron braced himself against what he guessed was someones shoulder as he waited for his nausea to wear off.

It was only a few seconds before Aaron could start to see again. Aaron looked over to see Geoffrey helping him stand. "You alright there?" Geoffrey asked.

Aaron nodded slightly. "Yeah. The program's gone." Aaron then looked over at the King, who was typing through the computer.

"All files remain intact. How did you do that, Aaron?" asked the king.

Aaron looked down, trying to think. "I...I'm not sure. I just followed my instinct, as if I already knew what I should do. It's....strange."

The King then looked at Aaron's hand. It had gone back to normal. "Can you do it again?" asked the king.

Aaron shrugged slightly, still dizzy and said, "Probably."

King Acorn nodded and went back to the computer. Aaron let go of Geoffrey's shoulder and stood up on his own. Geoffrey stared at Aaron, a curious look in his eyes, as if he was seeing a good asset to have.

Aaron then suddenly spoke up. "Have you ever heard of someone named Elias?"

King Acorn stopped abruptly, Queen Alicia looked up, and Geoffrey looked up at Aaron in confusion. King Acorn then turned around to look at Aaron. "How do you know that name?" asked the king.

Aaron paused for a second. "As I was hacking the computer, a series of images and words rang through my head. I couldn't make them out, but the name Elias Acorn just popped into my head. He lives in the Feral Forest, right?"

King Acorn nodded, but appeared conflicted. "Yes, Elias is my son. We haven't seen him in a few years. Is something wrong with him?"

Aaron thought deeply, trying to repeat the images that flashed through his head. Bits and pieces of information just appeared in Aaron's mind. "Not that I know of. I just can't.....wait." Aaron the saw something, something strange about one of the images. It was a written plan, almost like a log, in a computer. Aaron looked at the words on the bottom, all he could read was, "Destroy.....Acorn.....royal family.....none alive." Aaron mumbled.

Aaron then realized what he was seeing. "The images I'm seeing are Robotnik's plans. He's after Elias. What I read was Destroy, Acorn, royal family, none alive. The words in between were fuzzy, but decent in length. I think we need to find him." Aaron stated.

King Acorn placed a hand to his chin, scratching it in thought. Eventually, he looked up at Geoffrey and said, "Geoffrey, go to the Feral Forest with your team. Go on my behalf and speak to Derelict, the leader. He might be able to help."

One of the generals cleared his throat and said, "It izn't likely zat Derelict will go along with zis based on what one person has seen."

King Acorn raised a hand and said, "I know that, General D'Coolette. But I would rather be safe than sorry. Geoffrey, if Derelict won't listen, guard Elias with your life. If things get too rough, bring him and his family back here."

Geoffrey nodded and started to walk out the door. Just before he left, Aaron looked at the King and said, "Permission to go along with Geoffrey St. John, your majesty?"

The King thought for a second, and nodded. "Yes, you should go and talk to Derelict about what you saw. Geoffrey, I place Aaron under your command until further notice. Also, as a precaution, I'm sending the Freedom Fighters along with you. They will be there to render assistance if you need it."

Geoffrey turned around to face the King, anger in his eyes. "Understood. Aaron, come with me." Geoffrey then turned around and walked out of the communications room. Aaron followed shortly after.

Aaron caught up to Geoffrey. Geoffrey looked at Aaron and said, "If Robotnik's bots arrive, I want you out of the way. You don't have any combat experience, and I don't want any casualties on my team. If I tell you to run, do it. I am in charge here. Is that understood?"

Aaron nodded. "Yes. I do have a question though, If Elias is one of the royal family, why isn't he here with the others?"

"Prince Elias didn't want the throne, he wanted a normal life. He snuck out one night in self-exile. We found him at the Feral Forest some time later, married and a child on the way." Geoffrey explained.

Aaron nodded in response and followed Geoffrey. "I'm taking you to my team's briefing room. There I will brief the others on the situation at hand, and what I expect of them, as well as you." said Geoffrey.

* * *

**Okay, I don't really know where to go from here. I can set up the next chapter soon, but it will be a while. I have a lot going on soon and the next update probably won't come until a few weeks, a month at the most. Again, I apologize for the long wait, but I didn't know how to continue at parts. Review!**


	7. Meeting the Team, and Preparing to Leave

**Author's note- Heya, sorry for the long wait. I got way to hung up on my PS3 lol. Anyway, I have totally rethought the story and now things are gonna start moving again. No major shifts here, just preparatory and introductions. Review please!**

**Chapter 7- Meet the Team, and Preparing to Leave**

Aaron followed Geoffrey to what looked like a large living room. Inside was three people. A female black and white cat, a male yellow wombat wearing a hat, and a red chameleon. Geoffrey raised a hand and said, "We have a mission. Listen up!"

Everyone then looked up, listening intently. "We have received intelligence that the Feral Forest will soon come under attack, our mission is to escort Prince Elias out of the Feral Forest before the invasion strikes." Geoffrey explained.

Geoffrey then looked back at Aaron. "This is Aaron. He's going to be coming with us on this. He is here to assist us if he can." Aaron waved slightly, a bit embarrased. Geoffrey then pointed to the small wombat. "That is Wombat-Stu. He is a specialist in mechanics." Wombat-Stu gave a small wave.

"The chameleon is Valdez, he is our tactical espionage expert." Valdez gave a slight nod. "And the feline is Hershey, one of our combat specialists, and also my wife." Hershey gave a wave as well.

Geoffrey then looked back at the team. "Under no circumstances are we to engage in combat unless the Prince is in danger. Once the prince is safe, we leave. Simple as that. That goes for you too, Aaron." Aaron nodded in agreement.

Wombat-Stu then pointed at Aaron's arms and said, "What happened to you? Some kind of accident?" Aaron shook his head. "No, Robotnik."

"You were roboticized by him?" asked Wombat-stu.

Aaron shrugged and looked at his arms. "I guess you could say that. I'm not really sure what he did." Geoffrey then got the groups attention by saying, "We leave soon. The Freedom Fighters will be there for support. They will be the ones defending the city if need be. Lets get going now, prepare yourselves and meet at the airfield."

The team gave a salute before walking out of the room. When Geoffrey and Aaron were alone, Geoffrey said, "Don't get in the way. Also, don't speak unless your spoken to." Aaron nodded and walked out of the room.

"I'm going to get something before we head out, I'll see you at the airfield." said Aaron on the way out.

Sonic was laying in his bed at his house, dozing off in and out of sleep. A knock on Sonic's door woke him up. Sonic sat up and opened the door. Tails waved in greeting and said, "Heya Sonic. Sally told me to come and get you. We apparently have a mission."

Sonic smiled and stretched his arms and legs. "Awesome, I was getting bored just sitting here and doing nothing. I'll meet you there Tails." Sonic then ran out of his house, a trail of dust behind him as he ran through the dirt outside. The leaves on the trees rustled as he sped through the forest of Knothole. Tails was not far behind, flying with his two tails as he usually does.

Within a few minutes, they arrived at the Knothole headquarters. Sonic walked inside, seeing that the whole group was already there, but King Acorn was visible on a television screen. Sally waved and said, "Hey Sonic. Good to see you came." Sonic smiled and walked up to the group. "You know me, I'm always ready for a mission." he said in a cocky manner. Tails came in shortly after.

King Acorn cleared his throat before saying, "Now that you are all here, we can begin. We have received information that the Feral Forest might come under attack here soon."

Sally paused for a moment. "The Feral Forest? Isn't that were Elias is living?" she asked. King Acorn nodded. "Yes, that is why this mission is vital. The Royal Secret Service is escorting Elias to safety, your mission is to aid them. You are to follow the orders of Geoffrey St. John until Elias is safe. After Elias is away from the Feral Forest, you will assist in the defense of the Feral Forest at Derelict's leisure."

Sonic spoke up quickly, "Who's Derelict?"

"He is the current leader of the Feral Forest. Sonic, I must warn you, he is...arrogant at times. But you have to follow his directions. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT act on your own accord. We want to keep Derelict as an ally, if he sees we have troops that won't follow orders, we will loose his trust." replied the king.

Sonic nodded and said, "Yeah yeah yeah. As long as he doesn't do anything that is obviously the wrong choice."

The king shook his head and said, "Even then, do not act of your own accord. Sally, I trust that you will try to control Sonic?" Sally nodded and replied, "Of course daddy."

King Acorn grunted slightly and put his hand to his chin. "The Royal Secret Service will be departing soon, I suggest you leave shortly after." he explained.

Sally nodded. "Then we will leave as soon as they do."

King Acorn nodded, and ended the transmission. Sally turned around to the team. "Our mission is clear, assist the Royal Secret Service, and provide assistance to Derelict if he requests it." Sally then turned to Sonic. "I know that you usually do things your way, but please, just this once, don't do anything rash."

Sonic sighed. "Alright Sally, we'll see."

Sally stared at him for a moment, not entirely convinced. She then turned back to the group. "Lets head to the airfield. We need to be leaving soon."

**Alright then, finally got that chapter done. I'll tell what, I'm gonna get working on the other one right now. I have a feeling I can get two posted tonight. Review please!**


	8. The Feral Forest

**Heya readers! Alright, this chapter is gonna be pretty straight forward. No real big changes, but an ending that will make you wonder what will happen next. Review!**

**Chapter 8- The Feral Forest**

It hadn't been very long since the plane took off from Knothole Airport, and Sonic was already bored. The majority of the flight was just Sally explaining what she expected out of everyone. Sally would be the one doing most of the talking while in Feral Forest. Tails would be in the jet making preparations for combat if need be. Rotor would be monitoring all frequencies to alert the others if they were about to be attacked. Bunnie and Antonie were there in case things got bad and the attack would happen.

It took them about 3 hours to reach the Feral Forest. They had to briefly fly overhead to land in an opening. Feral Forest was one of the few cities that wasn't changed by technology. It has been the same as ever. A decently large city built out of wooden lodge houses. The only technological area was the city hall where all government decisions regarding Feral Forest would be made. The building was a two-story metal building with windows lining the walls.

They landed in a large opening not a mile south of the city. Another jet was already there, which Sonic assumed was the Royal Secret Service's jet. There were a few guards outside already waiting for them. Sonic and Sally walked outside to greet them. The guards saluted as they walked up.

"Welcome to Feral Forest. Please follow us." said one of the guards, a brown burly bear. The guard turned on his heel and began to walk towards the city. Sonic and Sally followed.

Sally was surprised about how well the city has progressed without technology. The city was peaceful, prosperous, and calm.

"You would wonder how they would stand it, knowing they are behind technologically." Sally stated.

Sonic shrugged and said, "Probably because these people don't want to change, they are happy with where they are now."

Sally thought for a moment, and smiled. "I suppose that would make sense."

Not long later, they reached the City Hall. The guard escorted them inside and took them to what looked like a briefing room. One of the walls was lined with computers, showing every corner of the city. More computers were off to the side. Inside the room was the Royal Secret Service, a tall gray wolf wearing a white shirt and black pants, and also someone Sally and Sonic didn't expect to see, Aaron standing to the side.

The wolf waved a hand and said, "Ahhh, you must be Princess Sally, and the famous Sonic the Hedgehog. Welcome to my city. I am Derelict."

Sally walked forward and shook Derelict's hand. Sonic shook his hand shortly after. Geoffrey cleared his throat and said, "Back to the topic at hand, we have received warnings that your city will come under attack. We are also here to pick up someone."

Derelict smiled, bearing his sharp white fangs. "And that 'someone' would be Prince Elias, is that right?"

Geoffrey nodded. "We don't want to take any chances. We have orders to evacuate him and his family from the Feral Forest. We would advise that, just in case, you take measures to evacuate as well. If Robotnik were to attack, the city might not hold."

Derelict sighed, appearing undeterred. "Do you really have that little confidence in my military?"

Geoffrey shook his head. "Of course not, its just that-"

"You received a WARNING that the Feral Forest would be attacked," interrupted Derelict. "and the King sent his secret service and his Freedom Fighters to assist me. It sounds as if the King has little confidence in my military powers. Just because my city has been reluctant to accept technology doesn't mean that we are defenseless. We have measures to keep our citizens safe, and more than enough power to suppress a few robots. While I am grateful for the King's concern, he should approach this in a manner that will not insult me. If I need Knothole Kingdom's help, I will call for you. You arrive on my city's doorstep with a sudden message saying that one man thinks the Feral Forest will come under attack? I don't really see that as a legitimate reason, especially if it is one man. One man, mind you, that has been half roboticized by Robotnik. How do we know he is acting on our behalf?"

Geoffrey was about to speak, but couldn't find the right words. Hershey stood up next to Geoffrey and said, "We understand why you would think this, but the decision rests on your shoulders. All we came here for is to evacuate Prince Elias from the Feral Forest."

Derelict nodded. "Then go, get your prince and leave."

Geoffrey nodded and motioned for the group to leave. Just before they walked out of the door, Derelict called out. "Wait, Aaron is it?"

Aaron turned around and nodded.

"How were you able to see this warning?" asked Derelict.

"It's hard to explain. The enhancements that Robotnik gave to me allow me to hack into a computer with my mind. I suppressed a virus that Robotnik was uploading into Knothole's mainframe. I caught a glimpse of his private files. I saw a log entry, and some blueprints of some kind of new machine. The log entry said something about attacking your city. That's all." explained Aaron.

Derelict nodded, not appearing convinced, and said, "Then you may go."

Aaron nodded and followed Geoffrey's team out of the briefing room. Derelict then noticed Sally and said, "I have said my piece, what's yours?"

Sally took a step forward and said, "We are here to assist the Royal Secret Service until their mission is complete, after that, we are to assist you in any way we can in case of an attack. If no attack happens within several days, we will leave."

Derelict nodded. "Then you are free to leave. That Rotor fellow already sent me the frequency for your ship. I will contact him if anything comes up."

Sally nodded and turned to leave, Sonic right behind her. Once Sonic and Sally were outside, they started to head back to the ship. Along the way, something bothered Sonic.

"Why do you think Derelict saw us coming here insulting? He should be glad to have extra hands to help." asked Sonic.

Sally sighed and said, "Daddy said that Derelict is arrogant at times. I guess he has a real hard sense of honor, and pride. I guess he want's to be independent of other settlements."

"I don't like it, he doesn't even set up defenses for the city. They're totally exposed to an attack! The city wouldn't stand long." Sonic stated.

Sally shrugged and said, "We have to follow our orders. Assist only if he requests it."

Sonic then held his hands out in front of him and punched his open palm. "If Robotnik shows up on the scene, then I'm there, orders or not. What's the King gonna do if I save another city from destruction? I've done it before, besides, I thought the Freedom Fighters were independent from the King's orders?"

Sally nodded and said, "In some circumstances, yes."

Sonic smiled and shrugged, "Then what can he do?"

Sally chuckled slightly and punched Sonic in the arm. "Oh, you're impossible sometimes, you know that?"

Sonic laughed and rubbed his shoulder, "I wouldn't have it any other way. Would you?"

Sally shook her head and said, "No, I wouldn't."

Geoffrey took the team to a small hut near the back of the city. Outside was a single squirrel chopping logs on a wooden stump with an ax. The squirrel was wearing blue overalls with a plad blue t-shirt underneath.

Geoffrey stopped a bout 5 feet away from him and knelt down to one knee, as did the remaining team. Aaron followed soon after.

The squirrel stopped chopping wood and wiped his sweaty forehead on a rag on his pocket. Geoffrey then spoke up.

"Prince Elias, we have orders to evacuate you from Feral Forest."

Elias sighed and said, "I'm not leaving here Geoffrey. This is my home now."

Geoffrey stood up and said, "We have received information that the Feral Forest may come under attack. Please Elias, the King personally requests that you leave the Feral Forest for your own saftey, and for the safety of your family."

Elias looked at the team, and then to Aaron. "Who are you?" he asked.

Aaron stood up and said, "My name is Aaron, I am the one who discovered the threat to this city."

Elias looked down at Aaron's arms. "What happened to you?"

Aaron held up one of his arms and said, "Dr. Robotnik. It's because of this that I discovered the threat. I will take it you are Elias?"

Geoffrey turned around. "PRINCE Elias!" barked Geoffrey.

Elias shook his head, "I'm not a prince anymore. Are you certain this city will come under attack?"

Aaron shook his head, "As I said, its a threat. But I wouldn't put it past Robotnik to come after you, Elias."

Geoffrey turned around again, "PRINCE!"

"That's enough, Geoffrey!" barked Elias.

The wooden door to the house then opened, and a pregnant female squirrel walked out.

"Who is it Elias?" she asked. When she saw Geoffrey, she sighed and walked over to Elias. Elias wrapped an arm around her waist and said, "Meg, they apparently have orders to take us back to Knothole. They think the city will come under attack." Meg nodded in response, but remained silent.

Geoffrey then spoke again, "We must get you and Meg out of here, Prince Elias. For your own safety."

Elias shook his head, "As I said before, I'm not-"

Just then, a small metallic dart flew out of the nearby bushes and headed straight to Elias. The dart missed him by just a few short inches, burying itself in the ground a few meters away. Elias quickly turned to the direction in which the dart came from, only to be hit in the side of the neck by another dart. Elias quickly grabbed the dart and threw it away. Geoffrey stood in front of Elias, crossbow drawn and ready.

Geoffrey fired an arrow into the nearby bush. There was the sound of metal hitting metal. "Get them out of here, now!" Geoffrey ordered.

Elias then grabbed his neck and fell over on the ground, motionless. Meg knelt next to him, shock in her eyes, trying to wake her still husband. Hershey quickly picked up Elias while Valdez grabbed Meg by the hand and pulled her away. Aaron was behind them, not sure what to do. Just as they were starting to leave, another dart flew out of the bush towards Meg. Aaron reacted on instinct and jumped in the path of the dart and held his hand up in the path of the dart. The dart struck his hand, but only bounced off. Aaron then walked backwards, as did Geoffrey, until they were away from the hut.

Geoffrey and the remaining team hurried back to their ship as fast as they could, a motionless Elias in Hershey's arms. They had to pass the Freedom Fighter's jet on the way. Sally and Sonic were still outside. Sally saw Elias and ran up to them.

"What happened?" Sally asked, panic in her voice.

Geoffrey put his crossbow away and said, "Some kind of dart. Sonic! Head to Elias's house and find one of those darts, and see if you can find the one who shot it too!"

Sonic nodded and sped off towards the city.

Sally placed a hand on Elias's forehead. "Is he alright?"

Geoffrey sighed and said, "Not sure, it looked like a tranquilizer, but we should be certain and get a sample. You guys can take it from here, We're gonna wait for Sonic to come back with a dart sample. After that, we are gone."

Hershey then quickly took Elias into the Royal Secret Service's jet, followed by Valdez, Meg, and Wombat-Stu.

Geoffrey took one last look at Sally and said, "Inform Derelict of what's happened, and tell him to put the city on alert. Whoever tried to get to Elias will likely try to get to Derelict."

Sally nodded and ran back inside.

Geoffrey then ran into his ship, reloading his crossbow.

Sally ran up to Rotor. "Rotor, get Derelict on the line, now!"

Rotor, who was dozing off at the time, snapped back into reality. "What, what for?"

Sally, in a very serious tone, said, "Elias has been knocked out by some kind of dart. Tell Derelict to ready his forces for a battle."

**Alright, got this chapter finished. And now I can get things rolling again. Review!**


	9. Emergency Evacuation

**Author's note- I would like to ask again, for those of you who are signed onto the website, please review. It's been three chapters, and I haven't gotten one. I like to know how I am doing on this. Alright, this chapter is mainly the assault chapter, and when things start to get moving. This is gonna be a long one. Review!**

**Chapter 9- Emergency Evacuation**

Sonic slowed to a halt as he arrived at Elias's house. He looked around for any clues as to the attack on Elias. He searched near the woodpile, and found nothing. It wasn't until he started to look towards the house did he find a small dart buried in the ground. He picked it up and looked at it. It was no longer than an inch, made of what looked like aluminum. Inside was a small amount of green liquid.

"A dart huh? Never thought I'd see one of these again." Sonic stated.

Sonic then heard a rustling in the bushes, followed by mumbling. "Darn thing always jams at the worst time. I could have smoked that whole team if my fun wasn't so faulty!"

A figure then stood up from the bushes, back turned towards Sonic. The figure was male, judging by the voice, had purple fur, and wore a brown western hat. The figure was also holding a rifle.

"Hey Nak, long time no see." Sonic said with a cocky tone.

Nak turned around, eyes glaring. "You weren't supposed to be here."

Sonic smiled. "You know I'm always where trouble brews up."

Nak frowned and started to step back. "Then it's your lucky day Sonic, but before the fireworks go off, I'm just gonna head out." Nak then gave a small wave and ran towards the woods. He quickly jumped on a motorcycle and took off.

Sonic was about to give chase, but thought better of it. "If this place is about to get attacked, I should be hear. Not chasing a low life criminal."

Sonic turned around and bolted back towards the ship, dodging civilians and buildings along the way. _A bit harder to navigate in here, I'm not used to the Feral Forest_. Sonic thought as he jumped over a street cart. In a matter of minutes, Sonic arrived back at the ships. Aaron was still outside. Sonic gave Aaron the dart and said, "Geoffrey said he wanted something like this?"

Aaron took the dart and said, "Yeah, most likely. Thanks Sonic."

Before Aaron could go back in the ship, Sonic asked, "How's Elias?"

Aaron stopped and turned around. "He's still unconscious right now. He's alive though, that's good enough for now." Aaron then ran back inside the ship. Sonic then went inside the Freedom Fighter's jet to see what was going on. Tails was on the radar, Bunnie and Antonie behind him. Rotor was monitoring radio frequencies.

Sonic went up next to Tails. "Anything yet?"

Tails just shook his head. "Nothing, but Rotor did pick up a garbled transmission a while ago. He couldn't translate all of it. All he got was 'initiate'." Sonic looked over at Rotor, who seemed very intent on finding the correct frequencies.

Sonic looked around for a moment. "Hey, we're missing someone. Where's Sally?"

Antonie spoke this time. "Zee Prinzess went back to Derelict to explain zee situation about Prinze Elias. She should be back soon."

Just then, the ground started to rumble slightly. Sonic looked out the window to see the Royal Secret Service's jet taking off.

"I'm picking up something on the radar!" shouted Tails suddenly.

Sonic walked over, patting Tails on the shoulder. "Relax bud, its only Geoffrey's team taking off."

Tails shook his head. "No, something farther away. There's only one though. It's moving very fast...like its lightweight. A bomb!"

"A BOMB!" shouted the whole group at once.

Tails nodded. "It's gonna hit in about 10 seconds!"

_Meanwhile with Geoffrey's team_

The jet was hovering a few hundred feet above ground. Just before the jet started to gain speed, Wombat-Stu shouted over to Geoffrey.

"Incoming! Single contact on the radar! It looks like some kind of bomb!"

Geoffrey nearly fell out of his chair. "A BOMB! Get us out of here NOW!" ordered Geoffrey.

Wombat-Stu pushed up on the accelerator as hard as he could. Just as the ship started to gain speed, a light blue flash blinded the whole section of the Feral Forest. For a few moments, the light burned before fading away.

The jet then began to plummet towards the ground, and all the lights shut off in the plane. "What's going on Wombat-Stu?" asked Geoffrey.

Wombat-Stu was pushing as many buttons as he could in the driver's seat. "We've lost all power after that flash went off! An EMP?" After pushing more buttons and levers, Wombat-Stu grabbed the sides of his seat. "Prepare to crash!"

Everyone then grabbed onto their seats and put on their seat belts, all except Geoffrey. "Elias isn't buckled in and neither is Meg! I'm going back to make sure they will be safe. Stay buckled ymates!"

Geoffrey then jumped out of his seat and ran towards the back room. Meg was holding onto the sides of her seat, panic in her face.

"Put your seat belt on and hang on mate! We're going down!" Geoffrey stated. Meg nodded and buckled in. Geoffrey ran over to the unconscious Elias and placed the emergency straps over his chest, thighs, and legs. Just before Geoffrey could put himself in a seat, there was a very sudden lurch in the ship as it hit the ground. Geoffrey went flying into the wall, slamming his head on the side of the door frame, falling to the ground, limp.

It felt like they were hit by a freight train as they struck the ground. All went black for a moment. Dirt, trees, and grass washed over the strong glass of the jet as the nose struck first. Hershey fell out of the seat as they hit the ground, but had no serious injury. Valdez hit his head on the table when they hit the ground, but that only gave him a headache. As soon as the plane stopped, Hershey ran to the back to find Geoffrey.

When she opened the door, she saw a frightened Meg, and an unconscious Geoffrey at the foot of the door, blood seeping onto the floor.

Hershey knelt down and held Geoffrey in her arms. "Geoffrey! Answer me!" Geoffrey would not respond. Hershey placed a hand on Geoffrey's neck, feeling a pulse. Hershey sighed in relief and placed Geoffrey in the next available bed in the jet.

Valdez stood up, rubbing his head. "Is everyone alright?"

Wombat-Stu crawled out of his chair and gave a thumb's up. Aaron unbuckled his seat belt and swayed slightly, due to the fact that he was dizzy from the momentum, but gave a thumb's up as well. Valdez then looked in the back bedrooms, finding a bleeding and unconscious Geoffrey. Hershey was busy patching the wound on Geoffrey's head.

"Had an accident?" asked Valdez.

"It looks like he might have suffered a major concussion, but I can't be sure." Stated Hershey. "Is everyone else alright?"

Valdez nodded. "Yeah, everyone's fine. But now we have a problem. How are we going to get out of here?"

Hershey thought for a second before saying, "Our best bet is to hold off here until help arrives."

Valdez then spoke up. "Stay here? We'll be sitting ducks!"

Aaron, who was making his way up spoke. "She's right. That EMP just shut off everything electronic within a few miles. Not to mention our captain is unconscious. If we run into trouble, we'll just have to fight them off. You guys are trained in combat, right?"

Valdez nodded, as did Hershey. "We have some weapons on the ship. They probably haven't been affected by the EMP considering they're not electronic." said Hershey.

Aaron nodded and turned to Wombat-Stu. "Can we still open any doors?"

Wombat-Stu nodded and said, "Yeah, there is an emergency release near all doors."

Aaron nodded and walked towards the exit ramp. Sure enough, a red lever that read 'emergency release' scripted was on the wall next to it. Aaron pulled the lever, and the door dropped with a dull '_thud_' as it struck the dirt. A long trail of torn up forest lay behind them, the city in a few miles in the distance.

Aaron turned back inside to see the team heading into a with three different guns. One machine gun, one hand gun, and one rifle. Wombat-Stu took the pistol, Valdez took the rifle, and Hershey took the machine gun. "We don't have any other guns you could use." said Wombat-Stu.

Aaron nodded and stepped back inside. "And now we wait."

_Meanwhile with Sonic_

Shortly after the EMP went off, Sonic ran to City Hall to get Sally. All things that were electronic wouldn't work. Not even a watch that Rotor always had with him. The citizens were confused about what just happened, and why their electronics wouldn't work. Sonic ran inside City Hall and to the briefing room, where Sally was.

All the computers and lights on the walls were off. It was only because of a single window on the ceiling that they could see. Sally was standing towards the back, a look of confusion on her face. Derelict was in the room as well, throwing up a frenzy to the people on the computers.

"What do you mean the power's gone in the whole city? You mean to tell me that all our defenses are offline? We are totally defenseless right now! If we were to be attacked..." Derelict paused for a sec and looked over at Sally, before looking back to the men on the computers. "Just get the darn computers going. Try to get as many citizens as you can away from here."

Derelict looked over to the door and saw Sonic. "Good timing, get as many citizens away as you can. I've taken too much of a risk to not heed your warning. Go!"

Sonic nodded and took Sally and ran. Once Sally was back at the plane, she stopped him for a minute.

"Sonic, the city is totally defenseless right now, and we have no means of communication to Knothole. You have to get the citizens safe, but if the attack hits, you must repel it."

Sonic nodded and said, "Alright Sal, I'll bring all the people away from here before Robotnik gets a chance to strike."

Just before Sonic took off, Sally grabbed his hand and hugged him. "Be careful Sonic." Sonic smiled and hugged back before letting go and taking off to the city.

Sonic started to gather citizens one-by-one and taking them a few miles outside the Feral Forest. Sonic did this for about ten minutes. Just as he got back from his 45th trip, a small missile flew into the city and struck city hall. After a brief second, the missile detonated, shattering the building into a pile of twisted metal and rubble.

Sonic growled and continued to move citizens. But, once Sonic got a few more, more missiles began to rain down on the city, hitting all the houses and buildings in the city. Sonic could only watched as they struck in rapid succession, unable to react for a span of seconds. All of the missiles exploded at once, sending out a massive shock wave of debris and rubble. Sonic was sent hurling through the air, landing in a small clearing. Sonic looked up to see all of the buildings destroyed.

Sonic could still hear voices in the city. He sped in to get whoever he could out. Sonic paused as he saw the body of one of the citizens. Sonic growled and continued moving citizens out of the city. Sonic could only find about 250 more. Sonic searched the city, tired and charred from lifting burning parts of a building.

"This is terrible. Robotnik doesn't have the stones to come out and fight me like a man! Robotnik's gonna have one heck of a bill to pay for this damage when I'm through with him! He didn't even send any bots! Something's not right here!"

_Meanwhile with Geoffrey's team_

Aaron stood at the doorway to where Geoffrey, Elias, and Meg were at. Meg was kneeling next to her husband, concern in her eyes. Geoffrey was unresponsive to any talking. But he did give an occasional twitch.

Aaron turned towards the entrance when he suddenly heard gunfire. Robots that seemed to appear out of nowhere were shooting at Hershey, Valdez, and Wombat-Stu. Meg gasped when she heard the gunfire. Aaron looked to her and said, "Stay here." Aaron then shut the door and walked down the ramp.

_If I remember right,_ Aaron thought,_ I can use my arms like guns. Maybe I can..._

Aaron then held his arm out in front of him and pictured in his mind that it had a gun-like weapon mounted to it. Aaron felt a slight itch in his arms as the metal around his fingers started to pull back, showing what looked like gun barrels as each finger. Aaron then realized he couldn't move his fingers. A female voice then rang through his head.

_To use your new arm-grafted TMMO weapon, simply point your hand towards your target and pull in your thumb to fire. Your thumb position will decide how your weapon is fired. If you pull it towards you, you will fire a single shot. If you pull your thumb outward, your hand will fire like an automatic. Thank you for using Robotnik Weaponry_.

Aaron then smiled and pointed his hand towards an open group of bots. He pulled his thumb inward, and a single shot flew out of his middle finger. The bot exploded instantly afterward. Hershey looked back to see Aaron with his gun-acting arm and nodded before firing at the nearest bot.

Aaron then pulled his thumb outward. His hand then fired multiple shots per second, striking down multiple enemies in a matter of a moderate amount of seconds. Aaron noticed that the metal skin in his arm began to pull closer to his hand, showing the machinery underneath as he fired. He paid no mind to it and kept on firing.

After a few minutes of firing, the metal in his arm had completely gone away. Aaron thought his ammo would last forever. Aaron's arm suddenly fell limp, unable to move. Aaron tried to move it, but the arm wouldn't respond. The same female voice rang in his head again.

_Your ammo depends on how much TMMO metal you have stored in your arm. If you deplete your ammo supply, your arm will become unusable until it fully regenerates. This process takes a few minutes. Thank you for using Robotnik Weaponry._

Aaron grunted and looked up. One bot broke through the team and landed in front of Aaron. Aaron fell back and crawled backward. The bot looked like the bottom half of an egg with arms and legs. One arm had a sword, while the other was a fist. The bot raised its sword arm and swung down. Aaron acted on instinct and held up his good arm.

The sword did not cut through his arm, but bounced off of it harmlessly. The bot struck again, but had the same result. Aaron kept blocking with his arm as his other one charged.

_This is taking too long!_ Thought Aaron. _I need something that can go up close._

Aaron then felt his arm twitch again. This time, a 4 foot long blade formed from the top of his wrist. Aaron blocked the next attack and parried the sword away. Aaron then stabbed the bot in the chest before it could retaliate. The bot instantly shut off-line as its power was cut.

Aaron smiled and looked up. Even more bots were appearing, Hershey and the others were being pushed back as the bots pushed forward.

Hershey looked back to her team. "We're loosing ground! Fall back to the plane!"

Wombat-Stu, Valdez, and Hershey turned around and ran back towards the plane, firing their guns from their sides. Once they got to the ramp, they turned back around and kept firing.

No matter how many of the bots they took down, another stood in it's place. It seemed endless, a constant wave of machines. The firefight went on for about 10 more minutes, and the bots were nearly at the ramp to the plane. Hershey threw aside her gun when she ran out of ammo and ran got into a fighting stance. Shortly after, Wombat-Stu and Valdez did the same. Aaron kept on firing as much as he could, alternating between arms when his metal supply ran low.

Aaron eventually stopped firing and formed his sword from his arm, getting ready to fight as well. Just before the bots could attack again, a blue blur shot through the front line of bots, cutting through their cores.

Whatever it was that took down the bots stopped in front of the ramp, revealing it to be Sonic.

Sonic gave a cocky smile and said, "Anyone call for a clean-up?"

Hershey smiled and said, "Glad you could spare the time for us."

Sonic gave a thumbs up and said, "No problem, things are silent in town anyway. Now, who's first?"

A few bots then rushed forwards, weapons ready to slice through Sonic. Sonic smiled and jumped up. He then used his trademark spinning attack to cut through the bots with ease.

"Haven't you guys learned yet that you can't beat me? Ro-butt-nik mustn't have given you guys any brains in that software." Sonic gloated.

Sonic then started running circles around the bots, forming a tornado and tearing them apart little by little. Sonic eventually stopped at the ramp and placed his hands on his hips. The remains of the shredded bots fell to the ground in a heaping pile.

"And that's a wrap. Final score, robots get none and Sonic gets 10." Sonic gloated again.

Hershey shook her head and said, "Always a comic when you're winning, huh Sonic?"

Sonic smiled. "What? You didn't want my help?"

Hershey shook her head. "No, it was almost perfect timing as usual, but a couple of minutes sooner would've been great too."

Sonic gave a short laugh and looked around.

"Valdez, Wombat-Stu, Hershey, Aaron, where's Geoffrey?" Sonic asked.

Hershey's expression changed to worried and depressed when he asked that. "He's unconscious inside. When we crashed, he smashed his head on the wall. Everyone else is safe. How are things in town?"

Sonic's expression changed as well. "Not long after that bomb went of, more bombs started blowing up the whole city. Even City Hall. I got most of the civilians out, but I know I missed some."

Hershey thought for a second. "What about Derelict?"

Sonic remained silent. Hershey nodded and said, "Alright, all we can do now is wait for help to-"

Hershey's voice was shortly cut off by a massive plane flying overhead. It looked as if the plane landed in the open field near the civilians.

Sonic looked over at Hershey. "Hold that thought, I'll be back in a few."

Sonic then took off towards the plane that landed in the field, reaching it within a few minutes. The plane was huge, more than 5 times the size of the Freedom Fighters plane. Sonic noticed the ramp was down and Knothole soldiers were running out. Sonic stopped at the ramp and noticed King Acorn walking down the ramp, dressed in armor with a sword strung to his back.

"Ah, Sonic. Good to see you still alive." King Acorn greeted.

Sonic gave a small wave. "Wait, how did you get this plane?"

King Acorn gave a small grin and said, "We have this plane, the Orion, in case of emergencies. We will take the civilians somewhere safe through this plane. Just before the EMP went off, Tails gave out a distress signal with details. It was only for a few seconds, but we got the signal and came here as soon as we could."

Sonic nodded and pointed towards the city. "The city has been totally annihilated. I got as many civilians as I could out, but I'm not sure how many was still inside." Sonic then pointed towards the direction he came from. "The Royal Secret Service's plane crash landed after the bomb went off, Hershey will tell you what happened."

King Acorn nodded and said, "Thanks for not stepping out of line. I'll be sending a recovery team to the city, and some support troops to Elias. The Freedom Fighters are already inside. They were here when we landed."

Sonic nodded and walked past King Acorn. "City Hall got bombed too. I don't know if Derelict is alive."

King Acorn nodded and walked out of the plane, getting ready to direct the civilians.

Sonic walked inside the plane, hoping to find his team. Luckily, they were in the main hallway. Sonic caught up with them. Sally immediately gave Sonic a hug. After a few seconds, she broke the embrace and asked, "How's Elias?"

Sonic shrugged and said, "As far as I know, still unconscious. Geoffrey's in bad shape too. Busted his head open." Sonic then turned to Tails. "Hey bud, smooth move sending out that distress signal at the last second."

Tails scratched his nose with his index finger and said, "Yeah, just the spur of the moment I guess."

Rotor then held up a small disk and said, "I also got something at the last second. Robotnik's order to launch, and a transmission to Snively. Once we get back, I can look over what they said. We might be able to get a clear picture as to why he wanted Elias so bad."

Sally patted Rotor on the shoulder. "Good job Rotor. Now I don't know about everyone else, but I'm going to take a rest for a bit."

Sonic laughed and patted Sally on the shoulder. "Go ahead and do that. I'm going to help the recovery team here in a minute."

_Meanwhile at Mobotropolis_

Robotnik was typing on his computer, watching a video feed of the bots that attacked the Royal Secret Service. He was particularly interested in Aaron. Watching how his arms would transform, and how his arm went dead when his metal supply was depleted.

"A brilliant show of the TMMO's abilities." cheered Robotnik.

Snively, who was standing behind Robotnik, tapped Robotnik on the shoulder. "Why did you show him that we were going to attack Feral Forest?"

Robotnik smiled and replied, "I wanted him to go there to see how he would react to an EMP, and in combat. He's unaffected by EMP's, and so far has shown promise in combat. He will make a valuable ally."

Snively scratched his chin. "How will he become our ally? It's clear he doesn't like you."

Robotnik laughed coyly and said, "Oh I have a plan. After I'm finished with him, he will like me more that the Kingdom of Knothole."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Robotnik called out 'enter' and the door opened. Nak the Weasel walked in, carrying his rifle across his back.

"Alright, I shot Elias with the dart. Where's my money Robotnik?" demanded Nak. Robotnik handed Nak a suitcase.

"As promised. But I might have another task for you." said Robotnik.

Nak opened the suitcase and smiled at the cash inside. "What did you have in mind?"

Robotnik placed his fingers together and said, "Very soon, I will need Prince Elias eliminated, for two reasons. One, to try and make Maximilian loose his footing. And two, frame Aaron."

**And I think I'm gonna end that chapter on that note. Let me know what how u like this story so far readers. See you soon!**


	10. Cleanup

**Author's note- Alright, lets get on with it. I won't be posting for a while. I'm going up to Georgia for a week, but I am getting a laptop there so I might post while I'm there. This chapter is mainly filler when you get right down to it. Review!**

**Chapter 10- Clean-up**

It took several weeks to clean up the city that once was Feral Forest. Even though Sonic evacuated a good portion of the civilians before the bombing, casualties were still high. Only about a tenth of the remaining citizens survived.

Surprisingly, Derelict was found amongst the rubble. Apparently, the initial explosion forced Derelict through the window in the ceiling. He landed after the explosion subsided, but was crushed by rubble upon landing. The most obvious was his hands, they were crushed beyond repair.

Once all the civilians were moved to Knothole, Orion came back to Feral Forest to act as a base. In some retrospect, it acts as a symbol of hope to those who survive.

The Royal Secret Service stayed behind to assist in the clean-up. Geoffrey, after some medical attention, was confirmed to have suffered a major concussion, fractured skull, and even slipped into a coma for three days. Although he is conscious now, he can't leave his bed (Much to his disapproval). He is expected to make a full recovery in a matter of weeks. Shortly after the clean-up is done.

The Freedom Fighters have been helping out as much as they can. Assisting in finding civilians, cleaning up debris, and acting as figureheads to show the situation is under control. Rotor has been assisting with transportation of food and medical supplies. Tails has been helping with moving the debris so it won't be in the way. Bunnie has been particularly helpful with moving debris that is too heavy for others to lift. This has made clean-up much more easier. Antonie has been assisting Bunnie by looking for civilians in rubble and debris. Sonic has been doing as much as he could, assisting in everything. Sally has been working with her father to make sure that everything runs smoothly.

Elias has regained consciousness after a few days. He has been moved to Knothole. It wasn't his father's orders, Elias insisted that he would leave. He and his wife wanted to be away from the city at the moment.

Sonic walked through the remains of the city. All of the smaller buildings debris was cleaned up. All that remained was the ground floor of the City Hall. Even then, not much was left. The remains were hauled off to a scrapyard just a few hundred feet away from the city.

There wasn't much left for Sonic to do. He usually helped move the debris, but the majority of it was gone, and his assistance wasn't required. He was bored, to put it plainly. He decided to go and see Sally.

Once he got to the Orion, he went inside to find Sally. After searching, he found her in the bridge with her father.

"With Bunnie's help, we should be able to leave within a few hours." stated King Acorn.

Sally nodded and looked over a clipboard in her hand. "Things have been going steadily. We got all the civilians that were still alive out. And all casualties have been confirmed. The dead have also been buried."

King Acorn nodded and began to walk out, noticing Sonic at the doorway. "Ah, Sonic. I hope you're doing well?"

Sonic nodded. "Well enough, at least. It's good to see things going smoothly. The Forest citizens oughta be happy to hear that. By the way, what are we doing with all the scrap?"

King Max placed his hands behind his back and said, "The remains of the city, I have already dealt with. The metal will go to the surrounding cities so they can use it. The wood will be spread out, and left to decompose naturally."

Sonic nodded and walked next to Sally. "That's good to hear."

Sally put down the clipboard and looked up at Sonic. "I know you're bored, and I know that we can handle it from here, but if things go well, we'll be home in time for dinner." said Sally.

Sonic nodded and placed an arm around Sally's shoulder. "Yeah, I know."

King Max then spoke up. "Sally, since clean-up is nearly finished, you are free to do as you wish."

Sally looked over at him and nodded. "Thanks daddy."

King Max nodded and walked out of the bridge. Sonic looked over at Sally and said, "Wanna go for a walk?"

Sally shook her head. "Nah, I'm tired. I'm actually going to go and take a nap."

Sonic smiled and nodded. "Alright. I guess I'll see you later then?"

Sally nodded and hugged Sonic. Just before she broke the embrace, Sonic felt her kiss him on the cheek. Sonic blushed slightly, as did Sally. Sally smiled and said, "Wake me up before we take off."

Sonic nodded and watched Sally leave. Sonic left shortly after. As Sonic walked through the hallway, he could hear the sound of a guitar playing. Sonic followed the sound and came to a door. The door was slightly cracked. Sonic opened it and looked inside.

Aaron was sitting in the edge of the bed, playing his guitar. Aaron stopped playing and looked up. "Sonic. Do you need something?"

Sonic shook his head and pointed at the guitar. "No, I was just curious as to who could play a guitar besides me. You play good, how long have you been playing?"

Aaron nodded and placed his hand on the neck of the guitar. "This was given to me by my girlfriend. I've been playing for a little over seven years now."

Sonic smiled at Aaron. "Girlfriend? You have one?"

Aaron shook his head. "Had one. She was killed in a car accident, along with my parents."

Sonic was surprised by this. _No wonder he's so mellow_. He thought. Sonic nodded and walked up next to Aaron. "I know the feeling. For a long time, I thought my parent's were dead."

Aaron shook his head again. "I was in the car when it happened. I watched my parents, and Allison die in front of me."

Sonic sat silent for a second. "I'm sorry."

Aaron shook his head. "Don't be. I get stuff like that all the time."

Sonic nodded. "How's Geoffrey?" said Sonic, trying to change the conversation.

Aaron chuckled slightly and said, "Conscious, and wrapped in bandages. He wants to get up and move around, but the doc won't let him. He's not very happy about that either. Other than that, he's fine."

Sonic laughed a bit. "That sounds just like him."

Aaron nodded and said, "You know, if you didn't show up when you did, we probably would have been killed."

Sonic shrugged. "Yeah, but I have a reputation to live up to."

Aaron smiled slightly and said, "Reputation of a Hero? I don't really believe in heroes. In a way, they are villains too."

Sonic looked up, a bit confused. "What makes you say that? A hero helps people when no one else can."

Aaron sighed and looked at Sonic. "That's the regular definition. Consider this though, when you helped me and the Secret Service today, did you consider looking through the remains of the city to find surviving citizens?"

Sonic sat still for a moment and said, "I heard the gunfire, so I followed it."

Aaron nodded. "Fair enough, helping where it is immediately needed. What I just mentioned, is that when you help one, you leave another behind. You can't help everyone Sonic, even for you it's not possible. In the eyes of the one who is left behind, you are seen as a villain."

Sonic paused for a moment. "Yeah, I know I can't save everyone, but I save as many as I can. I guess some people may see me as a bad guy if I leave them behind, but if they know I'm going to help others, they might see me as a hero too."

Aaron remained silent, looking at the ground in front of him. "Have you ever been in love, Sonic?"

Sonic laughed a bit. "Where did that come from?"

Aaron shrugged and said, "Don't know. I was just thinking about Allison, and I just wondered."

Sonic nodded and said, "Yeah, I have. Sally and I used to be together."

Aaron smiled and said, "It's obvious you too are still friends. I won't ask what happened, but imagine if she died right in front of you, and you were powerless to stop it."

Sonic pondered this for a moment. Feeling fear rush through him.

Aaron then put the guitar back in its case, shutting it and latching it. "That emotion you just felt was miniscule compared to if it would really happen. The fear, pain, feeling of helplessness. I lost those closest to me in an instant." Aaron leaned back on the bed and shut his eyes. "That's why I don't really believe in heroes. Because when that instant happens, they are nothing more than victims, or bystanders. I'm not trying to discredit you, it's just what I think."

Sonic paused for a minute, then began to leave. Just before Sonic walked out, Aaron spoke up again. "I'm not really one for words of wisdom, but here's something I thought of. Treasure what you have, it can all go away faster than you can blink."

Sonic smiled and said, "I'll see you later then. Don't go all mellow on us now."

Aaron smiled and waved slightly. Sonic then shut the door. _He's been through a lot. Not really a surprise he thinks differently than others._ Sonic thought as he walked away. "I guess I'll just go and help where ever I can."

**And there we go, that chapter is finished. Let me know what you thought of it. Review!**


	11. The Return Home

**Heya! Sorry it took this long. I got my laptop and I finished putting the things I want onto it. So now I can get to it. Although, I will say updates might come shorter due to the fact that my computer can now run World of Warcraft (I'm a gamer so its ideal, and its incredibly addicting.) so updates might come a bit slower. Review!**

**Chapter 11- The Return Home**

Clean-up of the Feral Forest has been successful and the Orion has returned back to the Knothole Kingdom. Overall, 453 of the near 2000 people of the Feral Forest survived. Near 75% of the population was killed. The citizens will have to room with either the citizens of Knothole, or remain on the Orion where accommodations were in place until the city would be rebuilt.

Sally, and her family were nearing the Castle as they walked back. Elias, who met the family at the airport, stared around the city, reminiscing in old times. The citizens would see him and whisper or wave. Elias, being a member of the royal family and a political figure, would wave back.

Upon entering the castle, Elias looked over at King Acorn and said, "Things have been running smoothly father. Just like it used to be."

King Acorn nodded and patted his son on the shoulder before walking off. Elias's mother smiled and said, "I know he seems cold at the moment, but there is a lot to get done what with the attack, and the survivors."

Elias nodded. "I know mother. I'm going to head up to my room, Meg's waiting for me." Just before Elias left, he looked at Sally. He smiled and hugged her saying, "It's good to see you again Sally." Sally smiled and embraced her brother. Elias soon continued to leave, turning to go up the stairs.

Sally then turned to her mother and said, "I'm going back to the Freedom Fighter's headquarters."

The queen nodded and patted Sally on the shoulder before silently walking the direction King Acorn went. Sally sighed and walked outside. It was a beautiful day. Nice and sunny with a cool breeze and a few clouds. Sally admired the weather as she headed towards the headquarters.

About 20 minutes later she arrived at the building disguised as a hill that served as the Freedom Fighter's Headquarters. As she neared the hill, she could make out the sound of a guitar playing. Sally smiled and thought to herself. _Must be Sonic again._

She walked inside to see Sonic laying back on the couch, guitar in his hands playing the same tune he usually would. Everyone else was gathered around him, listening. Bunnie noticed Sally walk in. She waved and said, "Glad you could join us girl! Where 'ave you been darlin?"

Sally smiled. "Oh, the usual. Seeing the family off."

Sonic then sat up and said, "You need to get away from that stuff Sal."

Bunnie then said, "Can't really blame 'er, she is one a' the royal family after all."

Sonic shrugged and said, "And I'm a renowned hero. I still find time to relax."

Sally laughed and said, "Well if you don't want me here, I can just leave."

Sonic shook head. "No no no, I didn't mean it like that. It's just...well...you see..." Sonic babbled.

Tails smiled and gave a light punch to Sonic's shoulder. "Admit it, you like her around don't you?"

Sally smiled and walked inside, shutting the door behind her. "Well in that case, I guess I can stick around." Sally then walked over to an empty chair and sat down.

The group laughed and Sonic began to play his guitar again. The group listened for a good while. For about an hour, they listened to the music, admiring the clever coordination of notes to make music. Sonic eventually stopped and said, "Sorry guys, fingers are starting to hurt." Sonic then stood up and placed the guitar over to the side where it usually sat. Sonic then sat back down.

The group then began to talk. Talk about old stories of their past adventures, talk about what the future could bring. They even got onto the topic of whether Sonic and Sally would get back together as a joke. They usually joked about a lot of things too. The Freedom Fighters get along very well, its as if they were all siblings. They have been on the team for over 10 years, and over those years, they have developed a bond like no other. A bond of close friendship and cooperation.

Before they knew it, it was nearing sunset, and the group decided to pack it in for the night. One by one (or in Antonie's and Bunnie's case, two.) they left. Tails waved off saying, "We'll see you guys tomorrow." before leaving. All that was left was Sonic and Sally.

Sally smiled at Sonic. "Why haven't you left yet?"

Sonic shrugged. "I can get home in a matter of minutes. As long as I'm home before it gets too late, mom won't mind. What about you?"

Sally smiled and stood up. "I was about to leave. Hopefully things won't get too hectic over the next few days."

Sonic smiled and stood up. "No use staying here them. It would be boring alone."

Sally walked out shortly after, followed by Sonic. Sally smiled as she watched the sun setting over the horizon. Sonic watched with her, standing next to her.

Sally sighed and said, "To bad things couldn't always be like this."

Sonic nodded and said, "Trust me, I know. But everything changes, its life."

Sally smiled and said, "The sooner we restore peace to the world, the better. And then things can finally settle down."

Sonic nodded and looked up towards the sky where two birds flew past. The birds landed on a nearby branch and stood next to each other. Sally saw the birds as well and leaned against Sonic. "You know, seeing Bunnie and Antonie together makes me a bit...jealous."

Sonic looked down at Sally. "Jealous, why?"

Sally shifted nervously and said, "I guess, I miss having something like that...what we had at one point in time."

Sonic stayed silent for a minute, unsure of what to say. After a while, he eventually spoke up. "I guess, I kinda miss it too. But with Robotnik, and other enemies out there, I just don't want you to get hurt...because of me."

Sally chuckled slightly and said, "I know, but that's going to happen anyway. Because we are a team, along with Tails, Antonie, Bunnie, and Rotor. We get in danger because it's our job."

Sonic remained silent, watching as the sun set, draping a dark shadow over the world. Sally remained close to Sonic for a while longer. Noticing Sonic's silence, Sally said, "I'm not trying to rush back into a relationship, I'm just letting you know it's still possible."

Sonic took note of this. "I know Sal, I still have the same feelings for you. But I just don't want you to get hurt because we would be going out. Once this is all over, things can work out."

Before Sally could respond, Sonic kissed her on the cheek and said, "Come on, we should get home."

Sally paused and nodded. Sonic then swept her off her feat. "Hang on!" Sonic said as he began to run towards Knothole.

_Meanwhile at Castle Acorn_

King Acorn looked at the 8 men sitting at the table.

"The damage on the Feral Forest was catastrophic, around 75% of the population was wiped out. It was obvious they were after Elias, but something still doesn't seem right. The surviving civilians have been moved to our wing of safety, and the ruins of the city has been properly disposed of." said King Acorn, giving a briefing.

One of the men, an brown fox wearing a blue military coat, red boots, and wearing an eyepatch over his right eye spoke up. "And what of Derelict?"

"Derelict is in the medical wing." said King Acorn. "and he is unwilling to talk. The news of the extent of the damage nearly put him in cardiac arrest. I don't think he will be talking with us anytime soon."

The fox nodded. "What of that new human that lives here now?" said the fox.

"Aaron? He's somewhere around the castle. What are you getting at, Amadeus Prower?"

Amadeus stayed silent for a moment, trying to find the right words. "Doesn't it seem strange that this Aaron found out about the attack? Also the attack happens _while_ he is there? And the machines that attacked the Royal Secret Services ship, if an EMP went off, they wouldn't be able to find the signal of the ship, so how did they find them? Chance seems unlikely." explained Amadeus.

King Acorn scratched his chin. "It does seem unlikely, but I still don't see your point."

Amadeus cleared his throat and said, "My point is, what if we have a man on the _inside_, someone who has been altered by Robotnik? Someone we know little about?"

King Acorn scratched his chin some more and said, "You're suggesting Aaron?"

Amadeus nodded and said, "It isn't impossible that Aaron is against us, considering he has been changed by Robotnik, and events have been happening around him. What I suggest is that someone should keep an eye on him, to see if he does anything suspicious."

King Acorn pondered this for a moment before saying, "Agreed, until we know what is going on here, I will have someone report on his activities."

_Meanwhile, on the roof of the Castle Acorn_.

Aaron sat on the wall, legs dangling over the side of the castle, a perilous drop below. Aaron's guitar was in his hands. He was strumming only a few notes as he looked out over the city and into the distance. Aaron eventually heard footsteps behind him. He turned around to see Prince Elias walking towards him.

Elias stopped and said, "Do you mind if I stay up here for a while?"

Aaron shook his head and said, "Not at all. You're alright."

Elias nodded and walked up and braced his arms on the top of the wall, looking out to the distance. For a while, they remained silent. Elias eventually said, "You know, I never got to thank you."

Aaron looked at Elias and said, "For what?"

Elias smiled and said, "Blocking the dart that was aimed at my wife. Thank you."

Aaron nodded. "It was nothing."

After a few more minutes of silence, Elias spoke again. "It's peaceful, isn't it? When I lived here before, I would come up here every night to look out to the distance. I feel at peace up here, just some time to get away from it all. I still do come up here."

Aaron nodded. "Peace is hard to come by these days. Both at my home, and this one."

Aaron then turned around and jumped down from the wall. "Well, I'm going to pack it in for tonight."

Elias nodded and said, "Alright. Have a good rest."

Aaron nodded and said, "Good night."

Aaron then turned and entered the small building that lead to the stairs, leaving Elias alone on the roof. Unknown to either of them, a figure stood within earshot to the side of the small building.

Nak the Weasel smiled and tapped into a communicator on his wrist. He put the volume on low and whispered, "Nak to Robotnik. I found your means of framing Aaron."

**And there she ends for now. Now I'm setting up for whats coming. Review!**


	12. Welcome to the Team

**Alright, lets get moving on. I'm gonna work on this as much as I can today. Expect a few chapters today. At least two. More setting up here, review!**

**Chapter 12- Welcome to the Team**

Aaron was working out in the fitness gym within the castle. He had nothing else to do with his time, and decided to work out for a while. He was wearing a white A-shirt, and black shorts. The gym had many things within it. Bench presses, dumbbells, leg presses, and more. There was also a track on an upper level to run laps.

Aaron was doing some curls with some 30 pound dumbbells when some movement at the door caught his attention. He looked over to see Geoffrey and his team walk in. Geoffrey looked around and saw Aaron. He smiled and waved for him to go to Geoffrey. Aaron sighed and put down the dumbbells and walked over to him.

Geoffrey smiled slightly. "Good to see a man that likes to work. Focusing on getting stronger?" asked Geoffrey.

Aaron shrugged and said, "Not really. Just finding a way to pass the time. Although it feels good to work like this."

Geoffrey nodded. "Well mate, the gang and I were thinking about what happened at the Feral Forest. Without you, we might have had a bit more trouble. So I come here to ask you. How would you like to be recruited into the Royal Secret Service?"

Aaron was startled by this. He wasn't expecting to be asked this. "Well...I...uhh...I don't really know what to say. You guys trust me that much?"

Geoffrey nodded and said, "Not really at first, but you have proven yourself. So, how about it?"

Aaron thought for a minute. "Alright, I'll join."

Geoffrey nodded and said, "King Acorn will be glad to hear it."

Aaron nodded and thanked Geoffrey. Geoffrey smiled. "I'll be training you in Close Quarters Combat. CQC for short. I know your skills there are a bit lacking."

Aaron sighed and said, "I suppose they are. Is there an arena or something here?"

Geoffrey pointed up to the track and said, "In the center of the track there's one. Wombat-Stu, would you mind reporting back to the king?"

Wombat-Stu nodded and took off. Geoffrey then began to walk up the stairs that lead to the track. Aaron, Hershey, and Valdez followed shortly after. As they were going up the stairs, Hershey placed an hand on Aaron's shoulder and said, "Welcome to the team, now Geoffrey's gonna work you raw." Aaron smiled slightly, not knowing if she was serious or not.

When they reached the arena, which was a large circle in the center of the track, Geoffrey walked out to the center, taking off his boots in the process and throwing them to the side. Aaron did the same. When Geoffrey and Aaron were in place, Geoffrey began to ask a few questions.

"Have you ever been in a fight?" asked Geoffrey.

Aaron thought back for a minute and said, "I was in one fight during high school, but that's about it."

Geoffrey smiled and said, "Alright, come at me mate. Lets see how you do."

Aaron nodded and held his fists up. Without hesitating, Aaron ran at Geoffrey and attempted to grapple him. Geoffrey grabbed Aaron by the arms when he was close enough and threw him behind him. Aaron stumbled and fell to the ground. Aaron winced in slight pain but stood up.

"To open of an attack." stated Geoffrey.

Aaron grunted and charged again, this time attempting to punch Geoffrey in the chest. Geoffrey knocked his arm the the side with an elbow block and brought his knee up to Aaron's side. Aaron fell to the side as Geoffrey pushed him away.

"We got a lot of work to do." stated Geoffrey.

For the next few hours, Geoffrey taught Aaron the basics of CQC. How to block, attack when necessary, and other things. Although how much Aaron tried, he couldn't gain ground against Geoffrey. He had Aaron beat at every turn. Aaron collected an assortment of bruises. Mostly on his sides and arms.

Geoffrey eventually let Aaron have a break, a five minute rest. Valdez, who was watching the whole time whispered in Aaron's ear. "You know he's taking it easy on you right?" This didn't make Aaron feel more confident.

"Alright, break's over. Get back on your feet." demanded Geoffrey.

_Meanwhile at Robotnik's city._

Robotnik was once again on his computer, typing up things into his personal log. Snively was standing next to him. Snively was tapping his foot, seemingly anxious. Eventually, Snively spoke up.

"Uncle, I've been meaning to ask you something." said Snively.

Robotnik stopped typing and turned around to look at Snively. "Hmm?"

Snively placed his hands together. "I'm curious as to your plans with the TMMO. How are you going to use it?"

Robotnik smiled and said, "A good question. I plan to use the TMMO to get to the Royal Family. If they are gone, the stupid Knothole Kingdom will be in shambles. And if a certain someone dies, Sonic would be distraught with grief."

Snively nodded. "A pretty good plan, but one thing still bothers me. How are you going to convince the TMMO to do this?"

Robotnik laughed. "Hoo hoo hoo! After the 'incident' that Nak is going to play out for us in two weeks happens, Aaron will like us more than the Knothole Kingdom. The people will immediately place the blame on him, because of two reasons. One, he is a Human. And Two, he was recently altered by Dr. Robotnik. The greatest scientist to ever live!"

**Okay, got that good chunk of prep out of the way. Got things set up for the big event. Review!**


	13. A Startling Push

**As promised, two chapters in one day. This one's probably gonna have to be separated into two segments. Review!**

**Chapter 13- A Startling Push  
**

It has been two weeks since Geoffrey has been teaching Aaron how to fight in CQC. Aaron is doing much better, he can actually land hits now and then. He still isn't as good as Geoffrey, but he can hold his own against him.

Sonic was with the Freedom Fighters at the HQ, just hanging out as usual. Things have been dead silent, and boring. Sonic lay on the couch with a magazine draped over his face. Tails was sitting off to the side just staring around. Everyone else was pretty much doing the same thing. Conversation would start now and then, but it was short lived most of the time.

For hours, everyone sat around talking very little. It was boring. Eventually, people started to leave. First to go was Antonie and Bunnie, always leaving as a couple. Tails left soon after, he decided to see what his dad, Amadeus was up to. Rotor left about an hour later, saying he had some business at the castle.

Sally stayed behind at the Headquarters. She had nothing to do either way. As the sun was setting, she eventually woke Sonic up.

"Sonic, wake up. It's getting late." said Sally as she shook Sonic awake.

Sonic grumbled slightly and sat up, stretching his limbs. He yawned loudly and shook his head. "Heya Sal. How long was I out?"

Sally looked outside and said, "Long enough. Everyone's gone home, and the sun's setting."

Sonic stood up and stretched again. "Things were boring today."

Sally nodded. "Home won't be much better."

Sonic nodded. "Want me to walk you home?"

Sally was a bit surprised, Sonic said 'walk' her home. Did he want to spend time with her? Sally nodded. "Sure." she said.

Sonic and Sally then both walked out together. Hand in hand. They both walked back together, taking their time. They both talked a lot. They talked about old times, even getting in a few laughs. Sonic would often make fun of all the enemies he fought and how ridiculous some of them were. Like how Mammoth Mogul was a walking dictionary, or how Ixis Naugus looked like a horned elf. Sally would talk about her family and friends, recounting old adventures they would have. Sonic even found the time to tell the story about what happened when he was in space for a year. A normal half-an-hour walk took them about an hour and a half to get to the castle.

Sonic looked up at the castle and said, "Well, here we are."

Sally nodded sadly and said, "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

Sonic nodded and looked at Sally. "Yeah."

Sally looked back at Sonic, gazing into those green eyes. Sonic stared back. The gap in between their lips began to close, little by little.

Suddenly, a loud scream filled the air and broke the silence. It sounded like it was coming from the castle. Sonic and Sally looked towards the direction and saw someone falling from the castle wall. Upon closer inspection, it was Elias.

**(These next few parts take place simultaneously, at the same time.)**

_About ten minutes ago_

Aaron was laying in his bed, tired and sore from working with Geoffrey. Aaron had a few bruises on his arms, and a new one on his neck from when Elias jabbed him after he tried to kick him.

Aaron groaned as he realized he had to use the bathroom. The bathroom was down the hall, a good walk away. Aaron stood up and walked out of his room. The hallway was empty, give or take a guard walking past every few minutes. Aaron then began to walk down the hallway towards the bathroom.

Something didn't feel right to Aaron. He felt like he was being watched. He turned his head just in time to see a foot disappear behind a corner. _I'm being followed_. realized Aaron. He got to the bathroom and did his business. _Who could be following me? And why?_ Thought Aaron. When Aaron finished, he decided to go for a walk to try and find out who this was.

Aaron continued to walk down the hall, trying to find a way to find out who this person was. He realized he was getting close to the stairway that lead to the tower that Elias liked to go to at night_. _Aaron broke into a sudden sprint and turned down the hall. He heard the footsteps behind him trying to match his own. Aaron saw the doorway leading to the roof and ran inside. He quickly cut the corner and hid behind the open door and moved to the corner to hide himself. He peered out the crack to see Geoffrey St. John go up the stairs. Just then, a male scream echoed through the stairway.

Aaron quickly moved out from behind the door and back to his room.

_A few minutes ago with Elias_

Elias was standing at the top of the tower where he always stood for a while. He comes up here every night. Sometimes Meg would come when she could. Elias didn't mind either way. Elias heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Aaron walking towards him. Aaron stood next to Elias and looked out.

Elias smiled at Aaron. "No guitar tonight?"

Aaron shook his head and said, "Nah, no need for it right now."

Elias nodded. "How's training going?"

Aaron shrugged and said, "Fine so far. St. John is teaching me how to shoot a gun."

Elias stared, slightly puzzled. "I thought he was teaching you how to fight?"

Aaron scratched his head. "Well...I...yeah...he is. It's just, that's on the side."

Elias nodded, and looked at Aaron closely. "You don't have any bruises, I take it your doing well?"

Aaron nodded but remained silent. Elias noted his strange behavior, but didn't really mind it. Elias looked down to see Sonic and Sally walking up. Elias smiled. "They make a good couple, don't you think?"

Aaron looked down and nodded slightly. Elias turned around and said, "What's wrong with-ugh!" said Elias. Aaron pushed Elias in the chest, pushing him against the hip-high wall. Aaron then pushed Elias as hard as he could, pushing him over the edge. Elias was able to grab hold of the ledge with one hand. Aaron smiled and punched Elias's fingers. Elias grunted and yelled as he fell off the ledge. Aaron quickly turned around and ran towards the door.

_Back with Sonic_

Sonic acted on pure instinct and ran towards the falling Elias. Sonic jumped up on the wall and jumped towards Elias, catching him just about 15 feet from the ground. The momentum pushed Sonic down as he caught Elias and he landed flat on his back, Elias landing on top of him. Sonic grunted as he struck the ground. Elias had the breath knocked out of him, and lay on the ground gasping for air. Sally ran up, panic in her eyes and knelt next to her brother. She looked over at Sonic, who was equally confused. Sally looked up to see Geoffrey looking over the wall where Elias just fell.

"Princess! Is Elias alright?" called out Geoffrey.

Sally nodded and yelled back, "He's fine, he just got the breath knocked out of him!"

Elias grabbed hold of Sally's arm and said something hard to hear. Sally waited as Elias caught his breath. Elias coughed once. "Aaron...ugh...Aaron pushed...hack!" coughed Elias.

Sally patted Elias on the back and said, "Don't talk, save your breath." Sally looked back up at Geoffrey and said, "Arrest Aaron!"

Geoffrey nodded and turned around. Sonic sat up and looked at Sally. "Ouch...good to see you're okay Elias. Sally, you think Aaron did it?"

Elias sat up and breathed deep. "He was the one that pushed me. I'm sure of it." said Elias. Sally hugged her brother, glad to know he was okay. Elias smiled and tried to stand up, bracing himself on his knee. "I sprained my ankle in the fall. Could you help me?"

Sonic nodded and helped Elias to his feet. Elias nodded and said, "Now, lets find Aaron."

**There is one of the big plot twisters I had planned. Review!**


	14. The Final Straw

**Alright, now that things have started to move again, we can get going. I'm really gonna startle, and confuse you guys in this chapter. Review! (particularly this chapter).**

**Chapter 14- The Final Straw**

Aaron was sleeping in his bed, at peace. Wearing his usual white t-shirt and gray sweat pants. Good sleeping clothes. Aaron woke to the sound of rustling at his door. He yawned and sat up, wondering what was going on. The door was suddenly kicked in and guards rushed inside.

Aaron jumped out of bed, only to be pushed to the ground by the guards. "Whoa whoa! What's going on!" asked Aaron as a pair of handcuffs were slapped onto his wrists.

A familiar voice answered. "You're under arrest for the attempted murder of Prince Elias. You will be tried for this crime, and hanged."

Aaron looked up to see Geoffrey standing near the doorway. Elias, who was being held up by Sonic and Sally were also at the doorway.

Aaron grunted as he was lifted to his feet. "Murder! Me! I wasn't even there!" argued Aaron.

Prince Elias glared at Aaron and said, "You can't hide it. I saw you push me over! We had a conversation before hand!"

Geoffrey shook his head and said, "I saw you head up the stairway to the roof just before Prince Elias was thrown off the tower. You can't deny it, a few seconds earlier and I would have seen it. Take him to the prison."

Aaron groaned as the guards began to escort him away. Geoffrey looked over at Elias. "You should get that ankle looked at Prince."

Elias nodded as Sonic and Sally began to move Elias towards the medical wing, which was just down the hall. Geoffrey then walked with the guards escorting Aaron.

Aaron was lost in thought along the way. _What the hell! I've been framed or something. But, why? Why would I want to kill Elias?_ Aaron's train of thought was interrupted as they passed the stairway to the roof.

Aaron saw a small shadow, and a ball with a fuse on it go off. Several of the guards grunted and fell to the ground as the round ball exploded, and covered the area with smoke. Aaron felt the handcuffs fall off and someone pull his wrist towards the stairs. Behind him, Aaron could hear Geoffrey yelling to find him.

Aaron looked in front of him to see a purple weasel wearing a brown cowboy hat guiding him up the stairs to the roof. When they got to the roof, the weasel ran to the side and threw a backpack at Aaron. "Put that on and pull the string when we jump. I also grabbed this for you when they weren't looking." The weasel then pulled up Aaron's guitar case. Aaron nodded and grabbed it.

"Who are you?" asked Aaron.

The weasel tipped his hat and said, "Nak the Weasel. No time to talk. Just follow me when I jump."

Nak then started to walk towards the wall. Getting his backpack ready.

"STOP!" called out a voice from the direction of the staircase.

Nak and Aaron turned to see Geoffrey at the doorway. Aaron placed his hand behind his back and formed his gun.

"I can't let you go anywhere Aaron." said Geoffrey.

Aaron glared at Geoffrey and said, "Why were you following me before?"

Geoffrey glared back and said, "King Acorn put me up to it after I recommended bringing you into the Royal Secret Service. I trusted that you wouldn't do anything. I trusted you, and you pull this. And now you flee with a fugitive? How long were you planning this?"

Aaron shook his head and said, "I never did! After I realized I was being followed I cut the corner when I got to the staircase and watched you run up. I wasn't even on the roof when it happened!"

Geoffrey kept on glaring. Nak then spoke up. "See that? They won't even let you have a voice in this. They never wanted you around. They would be glad to be rid of you."

Geoffrey glared at Nak. "Shut up!" shouted Geoffrey as he pointed the crossbow on his wrist at Nak. Aaron immediately pointed his gun-hand at Geoffrey and shot his hand. Geoffrey yelled in pain and held his bleeding wrist.

Nak smiled. "Now!" said Nak as he jumped over the edge. He pulled the string on his backpack and a glider unfolded itself. Aaron jumped on the wall, guitar case in hand. Aaron felt a hand grab his ankle and looked down to see Valdez, who was camouflaged for the moment. Aaron grunted and stumbled off the ledge. Valdez almost went over with him, but let go just in time. Aaron straightened himself and pulled the string, which caused the glider to unfold itself.

It was easy to steer the glider, just angle your body in the direction you want to go. Aaron followed Nak out of the city.

A few minutes out and Aaron was in utter confusion. _Geoffrey was put up to follow me? By the King? They really didn't trust me. They wanted me dead! _ Though Aaron as they soared over the open plains.

Even though it was night, Aaron could still see due to the moonlight. He saw a slight blue blur run below them and stop about a mile ahead. Aaron looked closer to see Sonic and Sally standing in the distance.

Nak looked back at Aaron and called out, "Whatever you do, don't-wah!" Nak wasn't able to finish his sentence as Sonic leaped up and spun through his glider, and Aaron's. Aaron went plummeting straight down as Nak flew into the nearby trees.

Aaron hit the ground hard and bounced a few times before rolling to a stop. The glider was torn to shreds. Aaron grunted and stood up, tossing the destroyed glider off his back. Aaron looked up to see Sonic standing a few feet in front of him.

"Nice of you to drop in. We heard the commotion in the halls. King Acorn wasn't happy." said Sonic.

Aaron grunted and said, "Here to take me back I suppose?"

Sonic shook his head and said, "No, me and Sal just wanna talk to ya."

Sally then walked up next to Sonic. "We want answers, depending on how convincing you are depends on if we let you go. First, did you really throw Elias over the castle wall?"

Aaron shook his head. "No! I wasn't even there! Why would I? After the hospitality you've shown me? Why would I turn on you?"

Sonic looked over at Sally. "He's got a point you know."

Sally kept on staring at Aaron. "But Elias said he saw you push him over, he said you had a conversation up there. Why would he say that?"

Aaron shrugged. "That's the strange thing, I don't know. Let me tell you what I did during that event. I was in my room and I had to go to the bathroom. As I was heading towards it, I realized I was being followed. I used the bathroom and decided to find out who it was that was following me. I started to run towards the stairs to the roof and cut the corner at the doorway. Hiding behind the door, I watched Geoffrey run up the stairs. I heard Elias scream as he fell, but I thought Geoffrey could handle it so I went back to my room. Then I was arrested a while later."

Sally pondered on this story, not sure what to believe. "I want to believe you, but Geoffrey says he saw you go to the stairs, and Elias said he saw you on the roof. It all adds up Aaron. Your story says you weren't there, but Elias saw you up there."

Aaron started to grow angry. "Believe what you want, but if you turn on me, I will turn on you Sally Acorn. You will be no exception Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Sonic smiled slightly. "Relax, they said you will be trialed for it. You could be proven innocent."

Aaron glared. "Not likely, you heard what Sally said! It all adds up! I don't know what happened, but I wasn't part of it! If I go back, I will be executed. It makes sense. Someone new, also has been altered by Robotnik!"

"You called?" said a menacing voice.

Sonic and Sally turned around to see Robotnik flying in on his eggpod. Sonic glared and turned around. "Yo Robotnik! What are you doing here?"

Robotnik smiled and said, "I've come to help someone in need." Robotnik then looked at Aaron. "These citizens of Knothole say they fight for justice, but they are prejudice against those who have harmed them before. Since I am human, they think you are evil as well."

Sally turned around to look at Aaron. "Don't listen to him! He's the one that changed you. He's an evil man Aaron."

Robotnik looked down at Sonic and Sally. "Hmm, maybe I should sic my newest bot after you. Oh Egg Worm!" called out Robotnik.

The ground then began to rumble and quake. In between Sonic and Eggman, a large, robotic worm shot out of the ground towards Sonic. The worm was about 10 feet wide and 30 feet long. It looked like a big larva worm. Sonic and Sally rolled out of the way to dodge the attack. The worm burrowed under the ground again, hiding in the ground. Sonic looked down the hole.

"It's gonna attack again, get away Sal!" Sonic called out.

Sally nodded and ran off to the side. The ground behind her began to rumble as the Egg Worm popped out of the ground again. The Worm sat upright in the ground and looked towards Sally. Sonic grunted and ran towards her. Just then, the Egg Worm began to shoot guns inside its mouth at Sally. Sonic grabbed her just in time and moved her away from the area before going back to the Egg Worm.

Just before Sonic got back, the Egg Worm went back under the ground. Sonic grunted and waited for the Worm to attack again.

Robotnik flew over to Aaron, who was still standing in the field. "To show you that I don't mean you harm, I programed the Egg Worm to not attack you. And something from me." Robotnik pressed a button on his Eggpod. Aaron felt his head ring for a moment as the same female voice rang in his head.

"_Extendable Metal ability activated. To use this new found ability, simply move the metal as if you were using a different limb. Thank you for using Dr. Robotnik Weaponry. Mobius's greatest scientist."_

Aaron shook his head and looked up at Robotnik. Robotnik just turned his head to watch the fighting between Sonic and the Egg Worm. "I'll take it from here." Said Robotnik as he manually started to steer the Egg Worm.

Sally ended up walking back to where the fight was, just about ten feet behind Aaron and Robotnik. Robotnik glanced behind him as he noticed her, but brought his attention back to the fight, a devious smile on his face.

Every time Sonic would try to attack, the Egg Worm would hide back underground. Sonic would run in circles when the worm would try to shoot Sonic down. _I can't find a spot to hit. The only open spot is the mouth, but if I try to attack it up from, I'll be shot full of holes. Maybe I can try this._ Sonic thought as the Worm once again burrowed underground.

Sonic stood perfectly in place, waiting for the Worm's next move. As Sonic expected, the ground directly below him began to rumble. Sonic jumped up at the last second as the Worm burst out of the ground.

The Worm looked around for Sonic, but Sonic was about 20 feet above it. Sonic put his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. The worm looked up at Sonic as Sonic used his spin dash to go straight down the Worm's mouth. The Egg Worm began to fire it's gun out of control. Before it deactivated, it spun its head in the direction Sally and Aaron were standing.

Sally's eyes widened as she realized that the Egg Worm was shooting at her. All she saw was a chrome flash and the sounds of bullets hitting flesh. Sally braced herself for pain, but it never came. She opened her eyes to see Aaron standing in front of her, arms out to the sides, his chest shot full of holes. Blood began to pour out of the bullet holes, staining his t-shirt red. Aaron let his arms fall to his sides and fell face-flat on the ground. Motionless.

Sonic popped out of the ground just in time to see what happened. "SALLY!" Sonic called out and ran towards her. Sally stumbled back, tears in her eyes. Sonic wrapped his arms around her and moved away from Aaron.

Robotnik yelled in fury and moved is Eggpod closer to Aaron. "He's not dead. But will be here soon unless something is done."

Robotnik then pressed a few buttons and a stretcher popped out from the bottom of the Eggpod. Robotnik eased Aaron onto the stretcher. "I'll take him from here. Goodbye for now Sonic." Robotnik then flew off towards his city.

Sally was shaking in Sonic's arms, totally shocked by what she saw. "Aaron took the bullets for me." stuttered Sally. "He, he saved me." Sally then began to sob against Sonic. Sonic held her close, trying his best to comfort her.

"Heeeyyy!" shouted a familiar voice in the distance. Sonic turned around to see Geoffrey and his team, along with a few guards running towards them. Geoffrey had a bandage wrapped around his hand and wrist. Geoffrey ran up and knelt next to Sonic and Sally.

"Are you alright? Where's Aaron?" asked Geoffrey.

Sonic shook his head and told Geoffrey about what happened. Right as Sonic finished explaining, Geoffrey looked over at the blood on the grass and the massive holes in the ground. As well as the remains of the Egg Worm. Geoffrey sighed and shook his head. "Alright, take her back to the castle. We'll take it from here Sonic."

Sonic nodded and stood up, helping Sally to her feet as well. Sonic then picked Sally up and began to run towards the castle. Sally was still lightly sobbing as Sonic carried her.

**Whoooo weee! That was a fun one to write. Review please!**


	15. Recovery

**Alright, time to get moving more. Now that things are rolling, all I can really say now is that we got less than ten chapters to go, unless I think of something to fill it up. Review!**

**Chapter 15- Recovering**

Sonic arrived at Castle Acorn, Sally still in his arms. Sally had stopped her sobbing, but was still shocked by the events of the past hour. King Acorn and Prince Elias were outside the castle waiting. Elias had a small cast around his right ankle, and was walking on crutches.

King Acorn walked up as soon as Sonic put Sally down. King Acorn did not look too happy.

"We received word from Geoffrey and his team. It seems that Aaron was gravely injured to protect you?" he asked Sally.

Sally nodded once. "I probably wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for him daddy." said Sally.

King Acorn sighed. "It still doesn't atone him for what he tried to do."

Sonic grew angry at this point. "After he saved your daughter, you're still gonna accuse him? I'm starting to think this was a set up!" exclaimed Sonic.

King Acorn glared at Sonic. "The evidence is overwhelming. A subject of Robotnik. We barely knew him. He was seen going up the stairs to the roof directly before the event. Elias saw him push him over the edge. Aaron fleeing the scene with a criminal. Robotnik showing up as you catch up to him. And Robotnik taking his mortally wounded body back to his city! It all adds up Sonic!"

Sonic glared back. "He claims that he wasn't there! He held to that even when we saw him. He told us his side of the story. He says Geoffrey was following him. And he even said that you put Geoffrey up to it! Did you?"

King Acorn remained silent for a moment. "It wasn't my idea, but-"

Sonic interrupted King Acorn. "But you carried out the order!"

King Acorn raised his index finger to Sonic. "Who are you to question my authority?"

Sonic was about to answer back, but Sally grabbed hold of Sonic's arm. Sally then spoke up. "Look, lets just investigate into this matter. That way we can get a clear picture."

King Acorn glared at Sally. "There is no investigation. There's no need for one. Regardless of rather if he didn't commit this crime, he still fled with a fugitive while under arrest. That's enough for incarceration." King Acorn then turned on his heel and walked back up to the castle. Elias was not far behind.

Sonic grimaced slightly and looked at Sally. "How can he do that? Not even giving Aaron a chance!" Sonic argued.

Sally shook her head. "Either way, we can't really do anything just yet. Listen Sonic, lets talk about this tomorrow. We all should get some rest."

Sonic paused for a second and nodded. "Alright. Good night, Sal."

Sally nodded and gave Sonic a brief hug before going back inside the castle. Sonic sighed and turned for home, still angry at King Acorn.

_Meanwhile at Robotropolis_

Aaron was placed inside a large glass tube filled with a light green liquid. Robotnik was standing in front of him, with Snively at the computer.

"His life readings are normal, the bullets have been removed and the wounds should close here within a few hours." explained Snively to Robotnik.

Robotnik nodded. "As soon as they do, restart the TMMO program. When he wakes up, we'll tell him it was the only way to save him. That should convince him."

Robotnik was about to leave when he tapped his head once and looked back at Snively. "And make sure Nak gets paid. He did a good enough job."

Snively nodded once. "What now sir? Now that the TMMO is back here with us, how are you going to keep moving forward?"

Robotnik smiled. "A few weeks within the tube, and the TMMO combat files programed into his body, which will eventually move to the brain, we will have a very skilled combatant on our hands. One that I can deactivate at any time."

**Alright, gonna end this short chapter here. I'm probably gonna get another one up sometime here soon today so stay posted!**


	16. More Allies

**More and more chapters in one day! Lol. I'm just gonna move right along with this. Enjoy! Review!**

**Chapter 16- More Allies**

It has been two months since Robotnik took Aaron away. The King and Elias are still convinced that Aaron is guilty. Geoffrey would like to find out the truth, but listens to his superiors. The Freedom Fighters are the only one who thinks he is innocent.

King Acorn eventually called in for additional assistance. He was planning a specialized attack against Robotnik. He called in the Chaotix team. He was waiting for their arrival right now.

Sally was at the Freedom Fighters Headquarters when she heard that the Chaotix were going to arrive. She immediately had the Freedom Fighters go to the Castle where they would arrive.

Everyone stood outside the castle waiting for the Chaotix to arrive. Sonic was standing, tapping his foot in anxiousness. Although Sonic and Knuckles were rivals, they were still good friends, and good teammates. Eventually, a large ring appeared out of nowhere, and the Chaotix appeared through it.

The Chaotix team consisted of four members. Kunckles, a red Echidna with two spikes on his knuckles. Julie-Su, Knuckles' girlfriend. She was a tactical specialist who knows how to use a gun, has mechanically enhanced strength, and is good at martial arts. Vector, the muscle of the group, is a crocodile. And Charmy, a bee that specializes in shrinking in size. This makes him useful in sabotage.

As the ring disappeared, Knuckles waved to everyone.

"Heya, we're here!" said Knuckled cheerfully.

Sonic smiled and walked forward. "Yo, Knux, looking the same as ever!"

Knuckles smiled and walked towards Sonic. "I was about to say the same to you."

The friends then clasped hands and each one gave a single pat on the others back (A brother-hug so to put it). Julie-Su walked forwards. "Alright, alright. Break it up boys. We got things to do." she said.

Sonic laughed. "Hey Julie-Su. Glad to see you're still keeping Knuckles here in line."

Julie-Su smiled. "Yeah, It's been a real trip with this guy." she said sarcastically.

Vector walked up and patted Julie-Su on the shoulder. "Of course, We've been helping out too, haven't we Charmy?" said Vector.

Charmy, always cheerful, flew forwards next to Vector. "Yeah!"

King Acorn then stepped forwards. "Glad to see you made the trip alright Knuckles. How are things back home?"

Knuckles shrugged with a smile and said, "Unnaturally peaceful. It's almost like Robotnik or other villains never existed."

King Acorn nodded. "As much as friendly banter sounds good for you, we should get down to the reason why I called you here. Sally, you should come too, as the Freedom Fighters will be involved in the attack."

Sally nodded and walked with her father and the Chaotix back into the castle. Antonie, who was standing in the back, turned to the group and asked, "What do you think zee King has planned?"

Bunnie shrugged. "Ah don't know, but ah hope its a good plan."

Tails then spoke up. "A way to finally end this war with Dr. Robotnik?"

Sonic shrugged. "We can only hope. Lets just hope the King knows what he's doing this time."

Bunnie smiled slightly. "C'mon, lets get back to the HQ so Sally girl can call us when she needs us back."

Antonie nodded. "I couldn't agree more."

Sonic sighed, "When it comes to Bunnie, you always agree."

Antonie then looked up at Sonic. "What was zat?" he asked threateningly.

Sonic chuckled and said, "Nothing, C'mon, lets go back to HQ."

_Meanwhile at Robotropolis_

Aaron was floating in the glass tube when his eyes fluttered open. _Where...am I? _He asked himself as he started to remember. _Right, I was shot after that Worm thing went crazy. Am I still alive?_ Aaron then looked down, his chest seemed...brighter. Aaron then heard a muffled voice in front of him. He looked up to see a red shape in front of him.

The strange green liquid in the glass tube then began to drain. Aaron stood at the bottom as the water drained. He pulled the breathing mask off of his mouth and shook his head to rid himself of the water in his ears and hair. He looked up to see Dr. Robotnik standing in front of the tube.

Aaron sighed and looked down slightly, only a chrome light caught his eyes. He looked down to see his whole chest covered in the same chrome metal as his arms. He looked up and focused on the faint reflection in the glass. His whole body, up to his neck, had been changed in the same way as his arms and legs.

Aaron glared at Robotnik, not happy about being altered further. Robotnik held up his hands. "Whoa, before you go and accuse me, let me explain. Your wounds were very serious. Most of your organs were either damaged. The only way to save you was to fully induce you with the TMMO program."

Aaron still glared, but nodded. "Get me out of here." said Aaron.

Robotnik nodded and looked over at Snively, who was at the control pannel. "Snively, open the tank."

Snively nodded and pressed a few buttons on the console. The glass around Aaron then lifted, allowing him to step out. Robotnik grabbed a towel and placed it over Aaron's shoulders. Aaron grabbed the towel and wrapped it around his waist.

"Alright. Now, lets talk business." said Robotnik.

Aaron sighed and punched the wall next to him, still angry over the past events. "After all of that, after I helped them at the Feral Forest. They still didn't trust me. After I willingly accepted Geoffrey's invitation to the Royal Secret Service, they still didn't believe me."

Robotnik nodded and placed his hands on Aaron's shoulders. "That's what I want to talk about. I am sure you've been told that I am the evil one, but they are no better. The world I intend to create is free of crimes, free of predjudice. This world is full of these things. I want to be rid of it, and I need your help."

Aaron pondered this for a minute. _I can't go back to Knothole, they will have me killed on the spot._ Aaron looked up at Robotnik. "Fine, I guess I should repay you for saving my life. Besides, ridding the world of a corrupt government sounds good."

Robotnik clapped his hands on Aaron's shoulders. "Good! Now, during your healing process, I used the TMMO program to teach you how to fight like a pro. Also a few other things, including your remaining abilities as a TMMO."

Aaron nodded. "Anything else I should know?"

Robotnik nodded. "Remember the dart that Elias was struck by at the Feral Forest?"

**And I'm gonna end that one on that cliffhanger. I'm gonna give you guys a few hours of rest before I get to the next chapter tonight. Now I just remembered something that I neglected to put in the author's note last chapter. I have a little contest for you guys. If anyone can guess how the crime against Elias was set up, I'll give you a little tip about what's going to happen in the future. Let me be a bit more clear. How was Aaron there to push Elias over the wall, but Aaron was at the bottom of the staircase exactly when he was pushed. I'll give you a hint, its something similar that happened to Sonic in the Archie Comics a long time ago. Review!**


	17. A Newfound Enemy

**I couldn't wait for it. I'm gonna move on. Now that Knuckles and the Chaotix are in place, I can start to set up the end to this. Review!**

**Chapter 17- A New-found Enemy**

Sonic, Tails, Bunnie, and Antonie sat patiently at the Freedom Fighters Headquarters, eager to hear word from Sally. They didn't have to wait more than an hour as she appeared on the intercom. Tails was monitoring it when she patched through. "Tails, bring everyone to the briefing room at the Castle as soon as you can please." she instructed.

Tails nodded and looked to the group, who was lounging around the main room. "Did you guys hear that? Let's head to the Castle."

Sonic stood up from the couch. "Finally, I was getting bored. See you guys there." Sonic then gave a small wave before running out the door.

Bunnie chuckled and spoke to Tails and Antonie. "Always ready to go, isn't he?"

Antonie nodded. "Ever since we first met him. He'z always been that way."

Tails smiled and began to walk to the door. "That's why I idol him."

Around 30 minutes later, Tails, Antonie, and Bunnie arrived at the Castle, Sonic was already at the Castle standing in the courtyard. "Heya guys! Good to see you made it!"

Tails waved and walked past Sonic. "Lets get going! To the Briefing Room."

It didn't take long for them to reach the briefing room, just a short walk from the entrance. When they walked inside, they found the Chaotix, Sally, Elias, and King Acorn inside.

King Acorn waved. "Ahh good to see you. Come in and have a seat."

When everyone was sitting and comfortable, King Acorn went to explaining.

"Now, I called the remaining Freedom Fighters here to explain what will happen in a few days. You are going to assault Dr. Robotnik's city and put an end to this war. You all have specific tasks, and I am going to explain them to you." explained King Acorn.

King Acorn then turned on an overhead projector, showing a drawing of Robotnik's city. "We will start with Knuckles, Antonie, Bunnie, Vector, and Julie-Su. You will draw the attention of Robotnik's machines outside. Try to last as long as you can against them. We have learned that Robotnik's machines receive their data from a relay tower hidden in the central tower of the city. While the first group distracts Robotnik, Charmy, you will fly in using your ability to grow smaller and sabotage the tower by entering a ventilation shaft located here."

King Acorn the moved to the next slide, showing a ventilation shaft on the left side of the tower. "We will supply you with some bombs. Plant them in vital spots around the relay antenna and blow it to bits. This will cause the robots to shut down. If they don't have instructions, they won't move. The Chaotix and the Freedom Fighters will then move in and subdue Robotnik. Capture him if you can. Take him out of you can't."

King Acorn then began to explain the extreme details of the assault over the next 5 agonizing hours. Sally, Tails, and Sonic would be in the Freedom Fighter's jet flying nearby. After Charmy would destroy the relay antenna, Sonic and Sally would parachute in, and Tails would join after landing the Jet somewhere away.

King Acorn then paused as the briefing came to a close. "And, if you come across Aaron, try to evade him, or capture him. The Royal Secret Service will move in as well after the Relay Antenna would be destroyed. Valdez will try to assist Charmy in this attempt in any way he can."

King Acorn then dismissed the group. As the group stood up, something could be heard outside the doors. It sounded like fighting. There was the sound of muffled grunts in pain, even the sound of someone getting thrown against a wall.

Then it was quite, for a few seconds. The doors of the briefing room were then kicked open. A figure wearing a black cloak with a hood, obscuring his face, and wearing black leather gloves kicked open the door. The figure spoke in a low voice. "Elias and Maximilian Acorn. As well as the Freedom Fighters. And who might these four be?"

Knuckles glared at the person. "We're the Chaotix! Who are you, and why are you here?" demanded Knuckles.

The figure took a step forward. "Chaotix or not, it won't matter. Elias, you're coming with me."

Elias took a step back, alarmed by the sudden proclamation. Knuckles then took a few steps towards the man. "And if he doesn't?"

The man then took a step towards Knuckles. "I'll use force."

Knuckles then punched the man in the face. The man stumbled back once as Knuckles punched towards the man's stomach. The man turned to dodge the attack and grabbed Knuckles' head. The man then threw Knuckles to the wall, cracking it slightly.

The man then began to walk towards Elias. Julie-Su then stepped in front of him and kicked towards his head. The man blocked with his hand and pushed hard agianst Julie-Su's stomach, sending her flying to the wall. Vector then jumped in the air and tried to land on top of the man. The man grabbed Vector's legs and threw him to the ground next to him.

Sally then stepped towards her brother. "Freedom Fighters, attack!" she ordered.

Antonie stepped forwards, drawing his sword. The man flicked his wrist once, and a sword fell out of his sleeve. Antonie attempted to stab the man. The man placed his empty hand in the path of the sword, stopping it dead in its tracks. Antonie's eyes widened as he realized the sword didn't pierce through his skin, it just stopped. The man then struck Antonie in the head with the hilt of his sword. Bunnie formed a small cannon from her arm and fired at him. The man ducked under the shot and threw his sword at her. The blade struck the barrel of the cannon, and pinned Bunnie's hand to the wall.

The man looked back towards Elias to see Sonic standing in his way. "Of course, the hero." said the man.

Sonic smiled. "This hero's about to kick your butt." said Sonic confidently.

The man sighed. "Have at you then."

Sonic smiled and ran towards the man. Sonic then lay flat on the ground, attempting to take his feet out from under him. The man simply jumped over him and kicked Sonic on the top of his head as he slide behind him. Sonic grunted slightly and stood back up. Sonic then jumped above him and spun towards him. The man simple knocked Sonic away with a swing of his arm. Sonic kept on bouncing around the room however, trying to land a hit on the man. The man simply deflected each attack with a swing of his arm.

_This guy's good. His reflexes are really sharp and he's really fast. Lets see how he handles this._ Sonic thought as he landed in a wall and braced his feet against it. Using the momentum of his landing, Sonic jumped off the wall and towards the man at a very high speed, and spinning at a very high speed. The man crossed his arms in front of his face and held his ground.

When Sonic struck the man, the force of the impact send a large gust of wind shooting from the point of impact out to the sides, throwing the chairs to the walls. Sonic spun against the man's arms, and the man held his ground. Eventually, the man's sleeves began to tear. The man reached one hand out to the side and grabbed at Sonic. He managed to grab Sonic's neck and hold him there.

Sonic looked down the torn sleeve and saw metal. It was skin tight, almost like it was his skin. Something clicked in Sonic's head and he looked up at the man. The man smiled under his hood and reached for it, pulling it down.

There, holding Sonic by the neck, stood Aaron.

Sonic grunted slightly, unable to talk at the moment due to Aaron's hand crushing his neck. Aaron smiled and forcefully planted Sonic to the ground. Aaron then quickly stood up and kicked Sonic as hard as he could. Sonic was sent flying to the wall, leaving a large crater in the wall. Sonic grunted and gasped as the air was knocked out of him. Sonic then fell to the ground, where he lay bruised and gasping for air.

Aaron then turned to Elias. Charmy was trying to get everyone to their feet, while Sally could only watch. Aaron walked close enough to reach Elias. Elias only stared him down. "Come to finish the job?" said Elias.

Aaron glared at Elias. "After I protected you and your wife and child, you still call me a criminal."

Elias stayed silent. King Acorn spoke next. "What are you planning with Robotnik?"

Aaron looked over at King Acorn and said, "The corruption and prejudice of the Knothole Kingdom will soon come to an end. I am not here to kill either of you, rather take one of you hostage." Aaron then turned to Elias. "Remember the dart that was shot at you? Did you wonder why we never got the results as to what it was? Nak made sure of that. He replaced the dart there with a tranquilizer dart built the same way. Inside the dart that struck you were nanomachines. Nanomachines that I can control directly."

Aaron then placed a hand against Elias's chest. Elias grunted slightly before falling over, clutching his stomach and groaning in pain. Aaron then kicked Elias in the face, knocking him out cold.

King Acorn then quickly drew his sword that was mounted to his side and slashed at Aaron's face. Aaron leaned back to dodge the attack, but still received a cut to his cheek. Blood poured down his face as Aaron leaned back up and punched King Acorn in the stomach.

"Don't think you're not part of this equation Max." said Aaron. Aaron then pulled out a syringe filled with a green liquid and injected it into King Acorn's neck. "The same nanomachines that Elias has. For later use."

King Acorn grunted slightly before fainting. Sally gasped and knelt next to her father.

"Rest assured, he's not dead. Just unconscious. He should be fine in a day or so." said Aaron.

Sally then stood up and glared Aaron down. "Why? Why did you do this?"

Aaron sighed. "You will come to learn that soon enough."

Sally growled and held a finger up to Aaron. "If you're our enemy, why did you save me that night?"

Aaron looked up slightly at Sally. "Because, you shouldn't die. You're too nice. You and the Freedom Fighters showed me kindness without betrayal. Even when I was accused, you still listened to my side of the story and didn't try to take me in. For that, I am greatful. But know this, if you get in my way again, I will have no choice but to kill you." explained Aaron.

Aaron then walked over to Elias and threw him over his shoulder. "Here's an example of my new power."

Aaron then walked to the center of the room and held his hand upwards towards the wall that would lead outside. The leather glove on Aaron's hand ripped off as Aaron's hand turned into a small metal prism. The prism then began to expand, to about 8 feet across. The Prism then shot from Aaron and punched a hole in the wall leading outside. The metal then moved back into Aaron's hand. All of this happened in a span of 5 seconds.

Sally stepped back as she watched. Aaron then jumped up, only he started hovering in the air. Sally looked down and noticed jet fumes coming out of the bottom of Aaron's feet. "I can generate certain machines and metal weapons from my body. Like these jet boots for instance. Prepare yourself Freedom Fighters and Chaotix, we will be expecting you." Aaron then flew out the hole in the wall.

Sally ran over to Sonic, who just caught his breath. Sally knelt next to him. "Sonic! Are you okay?" she asked concerned.

Sonic coughed once and smiled. "Yeah, just got lucky is all. How's everyone else?" Sonic asked.

Sally looked up to see everyone starting to stand up, rubbing their bruises. Antonie ran over to Bunnie and pulled the sword out of the wall. Sally looked over at Sonic and helped him to his feet. Knuckles, who was being helped to his feet by Julie-Su shook his head. "Who was that guy?"

Sally looked at the hole left by Aaron and said, "Remember that guy daddy warned up to stay away from during the briefing? That was him."

Knuckles was about to answer when Geoffrey and his team ran into the room. "What's going on here?"

Sonic laughed slightly. "Hey! Your timing's perfect."

Geoffrey shook his head and noticed the unconscious King Acorn in the back of the room. Geoffrey ran towards him and checked his pulse. Geoffrey then picked him up and looked around. "Who did this? And where's Prince Elias?" demanded Geoffrey.

Sally looked down in remorse and said, "Aaron came, and he took Elias. He took everyone out single handed."

Geoffrey looked up in alarm and looked around the room. He noticed the sword on the ground near Bunnie. He looked at Hershey. "Get that sword. I want it analyzed. If what the TMMO files say are true, we might be able to find a weakness through it."

Hershey nodded and picked up the sword. Geoffrey then carried the King out of the room. As Geoffrey left, Sonic could hear his voice down the hallway.

"Can someone get a clean-up crew and some medics for the briefing room?"

**And I stop there for today. Don't expect an update tomorrow, I have to go to my sisters to help her move out of her apartment. I might update the day after. Review!**


	18. Finding a Cure

**Alright, if all goes to plan, we only have a few chapters left. I would say around 3 to 5 at least. Review!**

**Chapter 18- Discovering a Cure**

It has been only a day since Aaron's kidnapping of Elias. Queen Alicia Acorn temporarily took the throne while King Acorn was unconscious. Over the past few hours, scientists have been analyzing the metal sword that Aaron left behind, and tactical leaders have been contemplating an assault on Dr. Robotnik to get Elias back. Geoffrey and his team was sent to do some reconnaissance work. They came back to find that the only way to get in, is with the plan that King Acorn had planned originally.

The Scientists were working on some kind of way to suppress the nanomachines in King Acorn. That didn't take very long thanks to the help of both Uncle Chuck and Dr. Quack. A cure was found shortly after. They would use nanomachines that would destroy the ones injected into King Acorn's body. The only thing they were working on now was trying to find a weakness to the TMMO. Success was near at hand.

Everyone had recovered from Aaron's beatdown, particularly Bunnie who managed to get her hand repaired. There were no other major injuries besides that.

Sonic was also doing a bit of reconnaissance work, running around Robotropolis to see how many numbers of bots they would be dealing with. Sonic could only arrive at a few hundred.

Sally was with King Acorn, who was in the hospital. Sally sat in a chair next to him, holding her father's hand. _He's got the same Nanomachines as Elias does. Does that mean that Aaron will come back?_ She thought to herself. She would run her thumb up and down the back of King Acorn's hand, hoping to get a response.

The Hosiptal doors opened slowly. To Sally's surprise, Amadeus Prower walked in. He stood next to King Acorn and looked down on him. "Such a shame this had to happen. I knew we couldn't trust that human." he said quietly.

Sally looked down at the floor in front of her, not knowing what to say. Amadeus then looked at Sally. "When Aaron attacked, did he receive any kind of injury?"

Sally thought for a second and nodded. "Daddy put a cut on his cheek. It would make sense, considering his body from the neck down is now metal."

Amadeus nodded and began to walk out. Something occurred to Sally. "Why do you want to know this?" Sally asked.

Amadeus stopped and looked back at Sally. "Geoffrey wanted to know, but he didn't have the guts to come and ask himself." Amadeus then walked out of the hospital, leaving Sally alone.

"Geoffrey wanted to know. Why would he want to...unless he..." Sally pondered on this for a while.

"Unless he wants to kill him." Sally said quietly to herself.

Suddenly, a few more doctors walked in, including Dr. Quack. Sally saw them and stood up. "What's going on?" she asked.

Dr Quack smiled and replied quickly. "We found the means to wake up King Acorn. We finished the Nanomachines to counteract the ones he has now."

Dr. Quack then pulled out a syringe filled with a light blue liquid. Dr. Quack then walked over to King Acorn and injected him with the nanomachines in the neck. After a couple of minutes, King Acorn stirred and slowly opened his eyes.

Sally smiled and hugged her father tightly. "Daddy!"

King Acorn grunted and laughed. "Good to see you're alright Sally." King Acorn then hugged back. King Acorn eventually whispered in Sally's ear. "Where's Elias?"

Sally loosened her grip slightly. "Aaron took him to Robotnik."

King Acorn sighed and stepped out of his bed, stumbling slightly. "I need to speak to Geoffrey, and after that, the generals. The Chaotix and Freedom Fighters plan will remain the same, unless another course of action dictates that we change it." With that, King Acorn walked out of the hospital, first going for a change of clothes back in his bedroom.

_Meanwhile at Robotropolis_

Elias sat strapped to a chair, bound by his arms, shoulders, knees, chest, and legs. He couldn't move. Dr. Robotnik was standing in front of him, a big grin on his face.

Elias looked up at Robotnik. "What are you planning?" he asked.

Robotnik smiled. "Something occurred to me. If I could turn a human into a TMMO, why not a Mobian? I have been searching for test subjects for a while and eventually figured 'who better than the Royal Family?' that's when I picked you as the first. Your father will be next, then your mother, then your sister."

Elias glared at Robotnik and struggled to get out of his chair, to no avail. "You monster! What makes you think you can do this and get away with it!" yelled Elias.

Robotnik laughed. "I've gotten this far haven't I? Why not push forwards?" Robotnik then walked over to his computers on the side. "This lab was the first one to support the TMMO. The glass tube that Aaron was in was only used to stabilize his injuries. I never had a chance to try it when he was conscious."

Robotnik then pressed a few buttons on the console. A syringe filled with a silver liquid appeared from the computer, almost like a storage tank. Robotnik picked up the syringe and looked at it. "After a few modifications, I found a way to allow the TMMO program to work on your DNA, and do it quickly. With some of my previous work, I found a way to control the new TMMO. You will be under my control, devoid of free will. Brace yourself Elias, this is gonna be painful."

Robotnik then walked towards Elias and injected the liquid into his neck. Not a few seconds later, and Elias's pupils dialated. He then began to scream in agony, flailing around in his chair, muscles spasm and convulsing. Right near where Robotnik injected the liquid, Elias's fur and skin began to change to a chrome color. The process continued till it covered his body from the neck down. After it finished, Eilas screamed one last time and passed out.

Robotnik laughed and walked out of the room. "Make sure he's taken care of."

**Alright, now the stage is set for the next three or four chapters. Review!**


	19. Invasion

**Alright, this chapter is gonna be a fun one to write. Review!**

**Chapter 19- Invasion **

Today is the day the invasion takes place. It was somewhat early morning when everyone began to gather at the airport. The Freedom Fighter's Jet was completely repaired and ready to go. The Royal Secret Service was getting prepared as well. The Chaotix were already ready to go.

Sonic stood outside the jet with the remaining Freedom Fighters. King Acorn was standing in front of them. "Good luck to all of you. Make sure to come back safely with Elias."

Sally nodded and hugged her father. "It's going to be alright daddy, just watch."

King Acorn nodded silently and walked over to the Chaotix, giving a short briefing and farewell. Tails tapped Sonic on the shoulder. "That reminds me, did you tell your parents goodbye Sonic?" Tails asked.

Sonic nodded. "Yeah. Mom wasn't too thrilled, but then again, when is she thrilled about me going on dangerous missions like this. Dad did the same as usual, 'Good luck son, make sure to watch yourself out there' and some more fatherly tips."

Tails smiled. "Yeah, pretty much the same thing here with my parents."

Sally walked up to the Freedom Fighters. "Alright team. We got a big day here. If all goes according to plan, this war will be over. You all know the plan, so lets get to it!"

Everyone nodded and Sally and Sonic went into the jet. Sonic took his usual place, a chair by the window. Sally sat next to Sonic, and Tails, who was flying the jet, took the pilot's seat. They had to wait for the Chaotix to leave first, as they were the main front of the attack for the moment. After about 30 minutes after they left, The Freedom Fighters took off.

It didn't take them very long to get over the battlefield. Sonic looked down out the window to already see a large section of busted bots, and the group fighting below. Knuckles punching them out one by one, Julie-Su shooting with an occasional kick or two to a few bots, and Vector just tearing through them, punching, kicking, and jumping. Antonie was cutting down bots with his sword. Even though he has a yellow streak, he shows courage when it really counts. Bunnie was punching down bots standing next to Antonie, they were working as a team.

Sonic could hear Tails talking over the intercom.

"How are things on your end?" asked Tails.

The staticy voice of Julie-Su came soon after. "Cleaning house down here. Charmy's just now getting into the Relay Antenna room. He should contact you in a sec." Soon after, the sound of a few gunshots and the sound of metal falling to the ground came over the intercom. "I would love to chat, but things are getting hairy down here." said Julie-Su as she cut the transmission.

A few minutes later, Charmy's voice came over the intercom. "Am I on the right channel?"

Tails smiled. "Yeah, you are. How's things in the tower?"

"Perfect. But it's weird though. There's only one guard. It looks like Prince Elias with metal arms and neck." said Charmy.

Tails paused for a second and looked back at Sally before going back to the intercom. "What's he doing now?"

"He's just walking around...wait, he's leaving now," said Charmy. "I got the bombs in place, I'm heading out."

Tails nodded. "Alright, we'll see you soon."

Tails then cut the transmission and looked back at Sally. "Charmy should be blowing up the tower here soon. Get ready to drop in."

Sally and Sonic nodded as they prepared for Tails to land. Tails landed just a few hundred feet away from the conflict. Sonic and Sally got out just in time to hear the explosion of the Relay Tower. Sonic could hear Tails calling out to them as they walked out. "The tower's out! That's your que!"

Sonic nodded and picked Sally up, heading for the Chaotix. Tails immediately took flight and flew off towards a heavily wooded area. Sonic caught up with everyone. No one was seriously injured, and the bots that were still whole only stood still, unable to move. Knuckles smiled at Sonic. "Not in the middle of the action this time eh?"

Sonic shrugged. "For once you enemy count is higher than mine. Lets go!" said Sonic. Everyone nodded and headed towards the city.

_Meanwhile inside Robotnik's security room_

Three bots were on the computers overlooking the security cameras. All seemed quite inside the building. The bots didn't notice the door open quietly. One of the bots suddenly seemed to have its head kicked off out of nowhere. The other two bots fell shortly after. In the center of the room, Valdez made himself visible again.

Valdez smiled and went to the cameras, looking for something. He found what he was looking for. Elias. He was near the front entrance of the tower, he was in a large lobby-like room. There two flights of stairs that lead to an upper platform, which had another flight of stairs that lead to the third floor. Valdez nodded and tapped into his communicator on his wrist.

"I've found him. He's in the main lobby of the base of headquarters for Robotnik. I'm heading there now."

Valdez turned around, only to briefly see a fist strike him, knocking him out cold. Aaron sighed. "You never were good at staying quite on a communicator." Aaron then walked over to the security panel and pressed a large red button.

"Security Disabled." said a female voice through the hallways. Aaron the grabbed Valdez by the wrist and walked out of the security room.

"Now the pieces are in place." said Aaron.

**And ending here for now. Get ready for the next chapter. Review Please!**


	20. Truth Behind the Deception

**Alright, time to start wrapping things up here. I would say we got maybe two or three chapters left. This one's gonna be a long one. Review!**

**Chapter 20- The Truth Behind the Deception**

The Freedom Fighters, and the Chaotix rushed into the city. All the machines were destroyed thanks to the destruction of the relay tower. Just for fun, Sonic would find rows of them and knock them over like domino's. Knuckles would do the same now and then.

Sonic strutted through the city, with the group behind them.

"You know, for a base of operations, Ro-butt-nik sure has one heck of a building flaw." gloated Sonic.

Antonie nodded. "Yes, eet seems to easy to me. Could we possibly be walking into a trap?"

Out of nowhere, a familiar voice called from behind them. "Glad to see you could clear the way mates!"

The group looked up to see Geoffrey and Hershey flying in on gliders. They landed close by and caught up with the group. Hershey smiled and spoke first. "Glad to see everything's quite for now."

Sally nodded. "Yes, but it seems to simple."

Knuckles then looked over towards the central tower, his jaw nearly hitting the ground. "Uhhh, do you guys see what I do?"

Everyone looked over, startled to see Elias standing in front of the doors to the central tower. Geoffrey nodded. "Lets get Elias out of here, looks like he got away from Robotnik."

Everyone then began to run towards Elias. "Hey Elias! Good to see you're okay!" called out Sonic. Elias only walked inside the tower as a response.

As they were running up, Vector stumbled on his feet, tripping the rest of the Chaotix team. The Freedom Fighters, and the Royal Secret Service got inside the tower.

Julie-Su got up and brushed the dust off of her sleeves. "Vector you clumsy idiot. Watch where your feet are next time will ya?"

Vector grunted and stood up. "Yeah, sorry about that."

When everyone was on their feet, they ran towards the doors, only to find the outside covered in some kind of chrome metal. Knuckles punched at it a few times, but made no dent. Knuckles growled and turned around to look at his group. "Now what?"

Before anyone could answer, a cold voice rang through their ears. "Now you have to deal with me!"

Everyone turned towards the voice but couldn't see anything. The voice was easy to recognize.

"Robotnik!" called out Knuckles. "Show yourself!"

Robotnik laughed before saying, "You know its funny that you can't see what's right in front of you."

Suddenly, Charmy flew off to the side as if he was struck, followed by Julie-Su and Vector. Knuckles felt a tight hand grab his neck as he was lifted into the air. Whatever it was that grabbed him appeared. It was a Metal Sonic. "Behold, the new and improved Metal Sonic. Now with a stealth unit."

Metal Sonic then threw Knuckles aside on top of Julie-Su. Julie-Su grunted as Knuckles landed on top of her. "Sorry." Knuckles said as he struck her.

Metal Sonic then disappeared again. "Time to meet your maker Knuckles."

Before Knuckles knew it, he was being hurled through the air, and slammed into a metal wall. Knuckles grunted and looked up to see his partners being struck by the invisible Metal Sonic.

"Grrrr, how do I fight something I can't even see?" Knuckles said to himself.

"You don't" said Robotnik as Metal Sonic moved behind Knuckles.

Knuckles acted on instinct and punched behind him. His fist connected with something metal, and Metal Sonic snapped into vision, Knuckles' fist was through Metal Sonic.

"Grrrr, you fool! You destroyed the stealth unit!" said Robotnik through Metal Sonic.

Knuckles smiled. "That's what I was hoping for." said Knuckles as he tried to pull his hand out. Knuckles then realized that his hand was stuck inside Metal Sonic.

Robotnik laughed as Metal Sonic grabbed Knuckles by his neck, lifting him up with Knuckles' fist still inside him. Metal Sonic's hand then began to tighten around Knuckles' throat, starting to suffocate him. Knuckles started to choke, struggling to get free.

Knuckles' vision started to blur before starting to black out. Knuckles caught a brief glimpse of Julie-Su grabbing him from behind and saying, "Now Vector!"

Knuckles then saw Vector's fist strike Metal Sonic's head, coming completely off. Charmy caught the head and placed a bomb on it before throwing it off to the side. Knuckles felt the pressure on his neck lift as soon as the head of Metal Sonic exploded. Knuckles gasped for air and fell back into Julie-Su's arms.

Julie-Su hugged Knuckles and let him catch his breath. Knuckles smiled. "Thanks for that."

Julie-Su nodded and hugged him again. Vector smiled. "It was nothin."

(This happens while the previous fight goes on)

_Meanwhile with the Freedom Fighters_

The Freedom Fighters and the Royal Secret Service rushed inside to see Elias standing in the center of the room. The room looked like a large hotel lobby, a flight of stairs lead to a platform on the second floor overlooking the lobby. Behind it was a flight of stairs, and an elevator.

Elias raised a hand as the door shut. Everyone looked back at it to see it covered in a chrome like metal. They could hear the faint sound of Knuckles punching at it. Sally looked back over to see Elias's hands covered in the same chrome metal.

Sally's eyes went wide as she realized what Robotnik had done. "No...Elias?"

Elias did not respond, he only stared blankly at Sally.

Sally tried again. "ELIAS!"

Elias did not respond.

Again, Sally tried to reach her brother, not getting a response.

"Don't bother Sally, you can't reach him now." said a familiar voice.

Footsteps could be heard from the second level as Aaron appeared over the edge of it. Aaron pointed at Elias.

"Elias has been changed into a TMMO like me. Only, Elias has no free will. He follows only Robotnik, and me. If you don't believe me. Elias, take off your shirt." said Aaron.

Elias nodded and lifted off his shirt. Surely enough, his fur and skin had been changed to the same chrome color as Aaron's. Sally shook her head, tears in her eyes. She eventually knelt over and started crying. Sonic knelt next to her, a look of disbelief in his eyes.

Aaron smiled and looked over at Geoffrey. "I know of the cure for the TMMO you have. And I know of your mission to assassinate me. Make your choice Geoffrey, leave your Prince as a machine and let the villain survive, or complete your mission and not have time to save Elias. Make your choice. Elias! When they decide, attack."

Aaron then turned around and walked towards the elevator. "If you follow me, I will be on the roof." said Aaron as the elevator doors closed.

Geoffrey thought about this for a moment, conflicted. _What should I do, no matter what I do, I will only hurt others from it._ Geoffrey then grabbed his head as he got a headache. Hershey grabbed his shoulder. "We should give Sonic the cure, we can use the suppressants on Aaron." she said.

Geoffrey thought about it and nodded. Geoffrey walked over to Sonic and handed him a small dart gun. "Shoot Prince Elias in the head with this, he should go back to normal. Be careful, you only have one shot."

Sonic nodded and picked up the dart gun. Sally was still crying. Geoffrey then looked over to Hershey. They both nodded and ran towards the elevator.

Sonic looked over at Elias. Elias just stared back and spoke. "Is the decision made?"

Antonie unsheathed his sword. "Aye, I do not want to hurt zee Prince, but I will do what I must."

Bunnie nodded and prepared herself. "We're gunna get you back Elias."

Tails stepped up and prepared himself. "Yeah, its five against one."

Sonic nodded and got ready to fight. "Sorry to do this to ya Elias, but we gotta save you."

Elias stood his ground, not moving at all. Sonic jumped up at Elias and tried to stomp on his head. Elias held up an arm to block it and used his other arm to push Sonic towards the roof. Sonic braced his feet towards the ceiling as he got near it and launched back at Elias, spinning at a high speed.

Elias jumped out of the way and kicked Sonic as he passed by him. Sonic bounced off the wall and stopped near the doors. Sonic smiled and jumped at Elias before doing a spin dash. Elias jumped up and used his metal arms to grab Sonic from a far distance.

Elias then extended the arm further and slammed Sonic into the wall above Sally. Sonic grunted and accidentally dropped the dart gun as he struck the wall. Elias then jumped and slammed Sonic into the center of the room. Elias used the force of the strike to jump up to the platform on the second level.

Sonic smiled and wiped the small bit of blood on his lip. "Not bad."

Antonie then stepped forward, sword in hand. "Try me."

Elias formed a blade from the metal on his arm and stood at the ready. Antonie struck first, slashing towards Elias' chest. Elias blocked with his sword and kicked Antonie in the stomach. Antonie stumbled back, holding his gut. Elias then swung his sword down to Antonie.

Bunnie used her arm to push Elias out of the way just before Elias struck. Antonie smiled and stood up straight. "Thank you mademoiselle."

Bunnie smiled, "Not ah problem."

Elias stood up and formed a large hand from the metal on his arm and threw it at Bunnie. It struck her head on and pinned her to the wall from the neck down. The hand kept her pinned, unable to move.

Antonie charged again, this time attempting to stab at Elias. Elias smacked the sword out of Antonie's hand and grabbed him by the neck.

Tails charged in, flying with his tails, and kicked Elias in the head. Elias grunted slightly and released Antonie. Antonie quickly ran behind Elias and wraped his arms around Elias' torso before moving his arms up to Elias' neck, forcing Elias' arms behind his head. Tails then flew up above Elias and grabbed hold of his arms so he couldn't move them as well.

"Shoot him now Sonic!" called out Tails.

Sonic held up the dart gun and took steady aim. Just before Sonic could squeeze the trigger, Elias jumped up towards the ceiling. Elias slammed Tails into the ceiling, knocking him unconscious. When Tails let go, Elias quickly spun around and grabbed Antonie, throwing him down hard next to Bunnie, who was still pinned to the wall. Antonie tried to land on his feet, but a loud _crack_ rung through the air when he landed. He fell over to the ground, holding his leg in pain. Tails fell to the ground unconscious.

Sonic then jumped at Elias again, this time landing directly in front of him and kicking him in the chest. Elias grunted and stumbled back. Sonic then punched Elias in the chest, making him stumble back more. Sonic quickly jumped up and roundhouse kicked Elias on the jaw. Elias grunted and wiped the blood from his cheek.

Sonic attempted to attack again with a cross to Elias's face, but Elias caught the fist and grabbed the other one as well. Elias then threw Sonic against the doors. Sonic slammed into them full force, denting it slightly. Elias quickly appeared in front of Sonic and grabbed him by the neck with both hands and pinned him to the door. Sonic choked as his wind pipe was closed.

Elias suddenly grunted and grabbed his head, releasing Sonic. Sonic gasped and fell to the ground. He looked up just in time to see Elias pull a dart out of his head. Sonic looked over at Sally to see her with the dart gun in her hands. Sally dropped the gun and ran towards Sonic and Elias.

Elias sank to his knees gripping his head. The metal on his fur and arms began to fall off, making a small puddle of chrome metal on the floor. When the process was finished, Elias knelt over, breathing heavily. Sonic stood up and walked towards Elias. Sally was already kneeling next to him.

Elias looked up. "Sally, Sonic. What...what happened?"

Sally smiled and hugged her brother, tears in her eyes. "It's alright Elias. It's over now."

Elias held her sister for a moment. "I...I became a TMMO didn't I?"

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, for a moment there."

Elias sighed and hung his head in defeat. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so weak."

Sally smiled and let go of Elias. "You're not weak Elias. Come on, we got to get out of here. Lets get you home."

Sonic went to the others to see if they were okay. Tails regained consciousness shortly. The metal that pinned Bunnie to the wall had disintegrated when Elias was turned back to normal. Antonie was still holding his leg in pain. It looked as if it might be broken. Bunnie picked him up so they could get around.

Everyone then went over to Elias. Sally stood up, as did Elias.

Elias looked at everyone with a smile. "Alright, lets go home."

_Meanwhile with Geoffrey and Hershey_

Geoffrey and Hershey made it to the roof. Overlooking the city was Aaron. The gentle breeze swayed his brown hair back and forth.

"It's been a while since I've had a chance to think alone." Aaron said.

Geoffrey remained where he was, ready to fight. As did Hershey.

Aaron eventually turned around. "One thing that's been itching at me to ask you. Did you notice the lack of security in the building? Valdez supposedly knocked it off right?"

Aaron then pointed to somewhere behind them. Hershey and Geoffrey turned around to see Valdez unconscious. Hershey and Geoffrey quickly rushed over to their friend. He had a single bruise on his head, but that was about it.

Geoffrey stood back up to see Aaron facing them. "And Elias?" asked Aaron.

"We gave the cure to Sonic." replied Geoffrey.

Aaron nodded. "A reasonable choice. Probably the choice I would have made. You were able to get as far as you have because I allowed it."

Geoffrey stared at Aaron in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Aaron quickly replied. "I plan to sabotage Robotnik. Snively is on my side as well. He planned for the destruction of the relay tower."

Geoffrey was very confused.

"Do you remember that night that I 'supposedly' tried to kill Elias? I figured it out. It's surprising to see that Robotnik would use the same trick again." contunied Aaron. "Remember when Sonic supposedly cut that rope that held Sally during the initial attack on the first Robotnik?"

Geoffrey nodded. "Yes, it wasn't him though, it was Drago in...disguise."

Aaron nodded. "He used the same trick on me. Only Drago wasn't in the suit. It was Nak the Weasel. That's why he was on the scene. They were planning this for a long time."

Geoffrey stood silent. "If that's true, you should be infuriated at Robotnik for deceiving you!"

Aaron nodded. "I would have been. But I found something that made me even more mad. How no one would believe me. How you wouldn't believe me after I joined your team, and helped defend your team at Feral Forest."

Geoffrey remained silent, unable to find the words to speak. Hershey walked up next to Geoffrey. "So why didn't you come back? Why didn't you prove it after you found out about Robotnik's scheme?"

Aaron sighed. "And still be counted for fleeing the scene? I was trying to find a way to redeem what crimes I was charged with. And helping to stop Robotnik seemed ideal."

Geoffrey grunted slightly, "And Valdez? If you wanted to assist us, then why did you knock him out? And letting Elias get turned into a TMMO? Why didn't you stop Robotnik then?"

Aaron thought for a second before looking down. "I'm not sure. I just...I didn't know what to do at the time. I was conflicted, and confused."

Geoffrey shook his head. "I'm sorry Aaron. I have my orders to apprehend you. If I can't capture you, I'll have to kill you. Will you come quietly?"

Aaron smiled and unzipped his black jacket before throwing it over the edge. His chrome skin gleamed in the sunlight of mid day. "No, I still have things to do. One thing I hate Geoffrey, is betrayers. You betrayed me by not believing me. And now, when I told you the truth, you still see me as an enemy. I'll show you just now foolish it is to follow orders all the time."

Aaron then took a few steps forward and got into a fighting position. As did Geoffrey and Hershey.

Hershey attacked first, running at Aaron and attempting to claw his face. Aaron slapped her hand away and punched her in the side before pushing her back. Geoffrey then rushed forward, getting close enough to try and kick Aaron in the head. Aaron ducked and delivered a kick of his own to Geoffrey's leg that he was standing on, making him fall to the ground. Aaron then kicked Geoffrey, making him roll a few feet away.

Hershey tried again, this time getting closer. She attempted to punch Aaron in the chest. Aaron blocked by grabbing her fist and he made a punch towards Hershey's head. She grabbed his fist as well. They both grappled for a moment. Geoffrey quickly stood up and roundhouse kicked Aaron in the head. Aaron stumbled slightly, releasing his grip.

Hershey held onto Aaron's hand and pulled it towards her. Using the momentum, she punched Aaron in the gut. Aaron groaned and knelt over. Geoffrey used this opportunity and brought his knee up to Aaron's face. Aaron landed flat on his back.

Aaron smiled. "Good to see you haven't lost your touch." Aaron then spun his legs around in a breakdance like fashion, attempting to take their legs out from under them. Geoffrey jumped up, but Hershey was struck down. Aaron quickly got to his feet and grabbed Hershey by the foot. He then swung her into Geoffrey, knocking them down.

Geoffrey grunted as Hershey fell on top of him. "Not going the way we planned."

Hershey smiled and stood up. "Yeah, just a bit off."

Geoffrey smiled as she pulled out the syringe filled with the suppressants. She winked at him.

Aaron smiled at them and charged at Hershey while she was standing and Geoffrey wasn't. Hershey quickly jumped up, pushing herself off of Aaron's shoulders and landing behind him. When Aaron turned around, Geoffrey quickly stood up and held Aaron's arms. "Now!" shouted Geoffrey.

Hershey quickly stabbed the syringe into Aaron's neck, emptying it in a matter of seconds. Aaron grunted and struggled under Geoffrey's submission. Geoffrey brought Aaron to his knees. Aaron could feel the suppressants draining his stamina slowly. Geoffrey eventually let go of Aaron, and he fell to the ground.

Geoffrey smiled and sat back, breathing heavily. Hershey was standing over Aaron, looking pleased. "Finished then?" she asked.

Geoffrey nodded. "Yeah, we just need to get him back to the castle. After we explain what he told us, the King should pardon him."

Hershey nodded and helped Geoffrey to his feet. Geoffrey then picked up Aaron and began to walk towards the elevator, pleased at the success of this mission.

**And this ends here for now. Next chapter is gonna be the final showdown. Review!**


	21. Final Attack

**Alright, sorry for the long wait, I had some things to do before I could get to typing this up. Big chapter here, probably gonna be a long one too. Review!**

**Chapter 21- Final Attack**

It had only been about a day since the mission to get Elias and Aaron out of Robotnik's city. Elias had made a full recovery to becoming a TMMO. He still isn't very happy about being controlled. Meg, Elias' wife, was very happy to get him back. She had been worried sick, but then again, who wouldn't.

Aaron had received a full pardon from the King after he explained his story. Aaron even told them where the copy suit was. It was hidden under a few loose floorboards near the bottom of the stairs that lead to the roof. Aaron is now telling King Acorn about Robotnik's future plans. The big one being the soon coming attack against Knothole. According to Aaron, Robotnik plans on sending his Egg Carrier to the city to lead the assault. Although one thing puzzled King Acorn. Why send only one ship?

The Chaotix decided to hang around because of the impending attack. They had their own rooms inside the castle.

Sally was sitting on a tree limb just outside Knothole. She was just relaxing, enjoying the cool breeze that fluttered through the air. She leaned back against the tree trunk, enjoying the slight view over the fields that was outside Knothole. She watched as a few birds flew past, chirping before flying into a nearby tree. Dark clouds gathered overhead, looking as if it might storm.

A voice suddenly called out to her. "Yo Sal!"

Sally looked down to see Sonic looking up at her and smiling. "Didn't expect to find you here. What's up?" asked Sonic cheerfully.

Sally smiled. "Just taking a break. What are you doing out here?"

Sonic shrugged. "Just went for a walk and found you."

Sally giggled slightly and jumped down from the tree limb. "I guess I can walk with you."

Sonic smiled and began to walk towards the field, Sally was right next to him, holding his hand along the way. For the next hour, they walked and talked. It was so easy for them to communicate. They both understood each other, and got along very well with one another. They both enjoyed each others company.

Sally smiled and looked up at Sonic. "Just like old times, huh?"

Sonic smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Just like old times."

Sally moved in a bit closer to Sonic, shoulders touching slightly. Sonic smiled and wrapped an arm around Sally's shoulder.

Sally smiled and looked out to the field, the breeze gently moving the grass. Waves of wind rushed over the grass, making the field move almost like an ocean's waves.

Sonic chuckled slightly. "You know, I kinda wish things would stay like this."

Sally nodded. "Yeah, but it can't. Things have to move on and change. The fields, our friends, our emotions. They all change."

Sonic smiled and looked over at Sally. "Emotions? Kinda sappy for you to say."

Sally smiled and looked over at Sonic. "Some of them change at least."

Sonic stared curiously at Sally. "Which ones haven't changed?"

Sally looked down slightly in embarrassment. "Well...my feelings for you...for one."

Sonic smiled. "I had a feeling you would say that."

Sally smiled and leaned in a bit closer to Sonic. Sonic smiled and placed his forehead against Sally's. "I guess mine haven't changed either. But Sally, I don't want you to be in danger because of your relationship with me." said Sonic.

Sally smiled at Sonic. "We're in danger all the time Sonic. We're the Freedom Fighters. It our job. I don't care what dangers lie ahead, we've faced them and beat them time and again."

Sonic sighed and smiled. "You always had a way with words."

Sally smiled and leaned in closer to Sonic, kissing him lightly. Sonic kissed back for a few moments. When the sound of thunder rang through the air, Sonic broke the kiss, cheeks bright red. "Ahem...we probably should be getting back. It looks like it's gonna storm."

Sally smiled and nodded. "Yeah, sure." Sally then looked out towards the storm, seeing a red object in the sky. "Wait, what's that?"

Sonic looked over at the object and stared at it closely. It was an airship, a large red airship. Sonic and Sally recognized it from before. "Robotnik." they both said at once.

Sonic then picked Sally up and ran towards the Castle. Sonic could hear the alarm going off, telling the citizens to evacuate to the castle immediately. "At least they know about it." said Sonic to himself.

Once they reached the Castle, Sonic set Sally down near the doors and walked inside with her. Once inside, a guard ran up to them. "Princess, King Acorn's on the east wall. He told the guards to tell you when you arrived."

Sally nodded. "Thank you."

Sonic and Sally then took off towards the east wall. It took them about five minutes for them to get there. King Acorn, the Chaotix, the Freedom Fighters, and the Royal Secret Service was already at the wall. King Acorn noticed Sally walk up. "Ah, good to know your safe."

Sally nodded. Sonic then spoke. "So, Ro-butt-nik's on the move this time?"

King Acorn nodded. "Yes, as Aaron said, Robotnik has started his attack. We don't know how this attack will play out, but then again, when do we know? But we have assignments for all of you. Freedom Fighters, you are to land on Robotnik's ship and try to take him down. Chaotix, you are to assist in defending the castle once the assault begins. Geoffrey, you and your team are to assist with defending the castle as well."

Geoffrey and his team saluted the King. The Freedom Fighters nodded, as did the Chaotix.

Tails then took flight, hovering over the wall slightly. "I'll go and get the jet ready. Meet you guys at the airport!" Tails ten took off towards the city.

Aaron fumbled with something in his pocket, pulling out a small metal syringe that had a cover over the needle. "I guess the cure will have to wait." Aaron then quickly put it back in his pocket. The Freedom Fighters then took off to the airport.

It took them about ten minutes for them to get there. The Freedom Fighter's jet was already there, ready to go. They quickly ran inside and took their seats. Tails waved and looked back to everyone from the driver's seat. "Looks like we're gonna either paradrop in, or land directly. It's all gonna depend on the weather."

Antonie looked up at Tails, a slight touch of fear in his eyes. "Can you fly zis plane during a lightning storm?"

Tails looked at the dark clouds approaching fast. "I bet I can."

Sonic smiled. "I know you can. You're the best pilot I know."

Tails smiled and ran the plane down the runway, eventually taking off. After a few minutes of flying, the wind began to pick up. The plane wobbled slightly in the buffeting winds, but still remained airborne with few problems.

Tails flew in a few miles away from Robotnik's airship. The ship itself was massive, about the size of Knothole itself. Robotnik's symbol was painted on the side, a strange interpretation of his face painted in white.

Sonic smiled and shook his head. "His ego knows no bounds does it?"

Sally laughed slightly at Sonic's comment.

Just then, Robotnik's voice came over the speakers. "Greetings Kingdom of Knothole. It is I, Dr. Robotnik. Brilliant Scientist and future ruler of this world!"

Tails turned back to everyone. "He's on a public channel so everyone can hear him."

Robotnik then continued. "I have a small request before we begin. Aaron, would you please come and see me in person? There is something I need you to see. Faliure to do so, will result in my dropping a nuclear bomb on this city. I kept one stored away for such an occasion. You have ten minutes. Meet me on the landing strip on top of the airship. Oh, and Sonic. Keep you and your team out of this until later."

Sally stood up in alarm. "A nuclear bomb?"

Sonic stood up and walked over to the intercom and picked up the microphone. "Yo Robotnik!"

Tails shook his head. "Don't bother, he cut the line."

Sonic grunted and set down the microphone. And started to pace.

A few seconds later, King Acorn's voice rang over the speakers. "Freedom Fighters, come in."

Tails picked up his headset and put it on, a small microphone near his mouth. "Tails here. What's going on your majesty?"

King Acorn then continued, "Aaron's taken off to the carrier. Can you see him?"

Sonic then looked out the window in the direction of Knothole. There was a small trail of smoke from the exhaust from Aaron's flying. Sonic looked up at Tails. "Yeah, he's heading right for the airship."

Tails nodded. "He's en route."

King Acorn then spoke again. "Keep an eye on him. Do not interfere, we can't risk a nuclear strike, regardless of whether we know he has one or not. Try to figure out what Robotnik's doing here."

During that conversation, a small buzzing came in, followed by a garbled voice. "Don't...majesty...listen in."

After a few more seconds, the voice came in much more clear. "Don't bother coming in Tails. Your majesty, all you need to do is listen in. I got this. If I see it as clear to attack, I'll tap on the hidden microphone in my shirt twice." yelled Aaron over the rushing wind.

After a few seconds, King Acorn spoke again. "Alright, we're counting on you."

Tails nodded. "Good luck Aaron."

Sonic still paced slightly, anxious to get at Robotnik.

_Meanwhile with Aaron._

Aaron flew through the air, cold wind rushing through his face and hair. Goosebumps popped up on Aaron's skin because of the chilled air. The sound of thunder rushed through the air as another lightning bolt struck.

Aaron flew above the airship, seeing the blinking lights of the runway down below. He quickly descended and landed on the airstrip. Robotnik was standing near the front of it, closer to the cockpit of the airship. Aaron quickly walked up, getting within ten feet of Robotnik, close enough so that everyone could hear through the microphone hidden in the pocket of his black coat.

Aaron stopped and crossed his arms. "What's this all about Robotnik?"

Robotnik smiled slightly. "Just making sure you were here. I wanted to show you the greatest triumph of my life! You were the first successful TMMO, Elias was the second. I have finally made a third. I used you to test if it would work on a human, and I used Elias to test the faster development of the TMMO. This TMMO has the ability to absorb metals from his surroundings. And regenerate his own to use. Do you have any questions as to why I brought you here?"

Aaron thought for a second, suppressing a smile as he thought of a few questions. "First," said Aaron, "Is there really a nuclear bomb on this airship?"

Robotnik laughed and shook his head. "No. I don't use nuclear weapons. Far to harsh on the environment. I just used that as a prop to make sure you came. Nuclear Weapons are the strongest weapon of your time, so even you should know the threat one would pose."

Aaron nodded. "True at that. You said you made a third TMMO?"

_Meanwhile with the Freedom Fighters._

The conversation continued over the speakers.

"Yes," replied Robotnik, "And this one shows real promise. One that is 100% loyal to the Eggman Empire. Do you wonder why I made this TMMO? For two reasons. One, to surpass you. And Two, create the ultimate weapon that not even Sonic can defeat."

Tails heard Aaron cough a few times, followed by two consecutive thumps. Tails turned around. "That's your que Sonic."

Sonic nodded and headed for the door. Tails flew above the airship. Aaron smiled and looked up as the doors opened. Sonic quickly jumped out. Tails was about to land the plane when Aaron came over the speakers, sheer panic in his voice.

"It's a trap! Robotnik's the-" The transmission was cut off as the microphone was suddenly destroyed.

Tails quickly flew higher and looked out the front window to look at Robotnik. His sleeve was pulled back slightly, holding Aaron's fist in his hand. Tails could make out a metal shine on Robotnik's arm. Tails' eyes widened as he realized the situation. He quickly sent a message to the King.

"This is Tails. Robotnik is the new TMMO!"

_Meanwhile with Sonic_

Sonic could see over the edge of the airship as he dropped in. Robots were coming out the sides and heading towards the castle.

Sonic landed on the airstrip just a few short feet from Robotnik. Robotnik was still holding Aaron's hand. Robotnik used his other hand to grab Aaron's arm and threw him into Sonic. Sonic and Aaron both grunted. Sonic landed flat on the ground while Aaron rolled over Sonic.

Aaron knelt on one knee before standing up. Sonic quickly jumped up. "Care to explain why Robotnik can fight now?" asked Sonic.

Aaron grunted and pointed at Robotnik. "He's turned himself into the new TMMO. His reflexes and strength has been altered like mine." he explained.

Sonic smiled. "Maybe this could actually be interesting for once." said Sonic as he ran towards Robotnik. Sonic then did a spin dash, aiming for Robotnik's chest.

Robotnik smiled and punched at Sonic when he got close, bouncing him back slightly. Sonic bounced off the ground once and landed on his feet.

Robotnik smiled and held his arms up in a gloating like fashion. "Come on Sonic, is that all you got?"

Sonic smiled and shook his head. "Not even close."

Sonic then charged at Robotnik full speed. Sonic jumped at the last second and tried to shoulder Robotnik in the chest. Robotnik smiled and dodged the attack and reached for Sonic. Robotnik's arm stretched farther than normal and grabbed Sonic by the foot. Robotnik then hurled Sonic overhead and slammed him into the hard concrete of the airstrip.

Robotnik smiled as Sonic struggled to his feet. "I found the ultimate weapon against you Sonic. If I can block your attacks and counter, your easy pickings."

Robotnik then held out his hand. It stretched out slightly and formed a massive hammer about 8 feet wide from side to side and top to bottom. Robotnik swung the hammer, intending to smash Sonic into the pavement. Just before Sonic could move, he saw Aaron run in front of him. Aaron quickly formed a large shield from his arm and blocked the hammer.

The ground Aaron was standing on turned into a small crater when Aaron blocked the attack. Aaron smiled at Robotnik. "You might be able to fight Sonic alone, but how about when he has a friend to back him up?"

Sonic smiled and ran around Aaron and kicked Robotnik in the face. Robotnik landed flat on his back. He quickly rolled to his feet and formed a very long blade from his arm and swung at Sonic. Sonic jumped straight up and Aaron blocked the sword with his shield that he used to block the hammer. Sonic landed on top of the blade and ran towards Robotnik. Robotnik formed a large metal hand from his shoulder and grabbed Sonic.

Aaron quickly threw the long sword off of him and formed his own blade from the top of his right arm. He ran at Robotnik and cut off the large hand that was holding Sonic. Sonic fell to the ground as the hand turned into a metallic liquid. Sonic quickly rolled back to get away from Robotnik.

Robotnik placed his hand against the metallic liquid and absorbed it back into his body. Aaron then charged forwards, sword at the ready. Aaron slashed at Robotnik's head when he got close enough. Robotnik ducked under the blade and grabbed Aaron's arm. Aaron felt a strange feeling, as if his skin was being pulled from his flesh, but it didn't hurt. Aaron looked at his arm to see the metal going into Robotnik's arm.

Aaron grunted and tried to move, but Robotnik held Aaron in place. Aaron grutned as he saw the metal muscle tissues in his arms. Robotnik smiled. "Fantastic configuration don't you think? Turn the muscle tissue into a similar metal as the skin to support it."

Aaron smiled slightly as he saw Sonic running up behind Robotnik. "Not as clever as this."

Sonic then jumped up and landed on top of Robotnik's bald head and danced on it, stomping on Robotnik's head a few times in the process. Robotnik let go of Aaron's arm and swung at Sonic. Sonic jumped up and moved away from Robotnik, as did Aaron. Aaron was holding his limp arm.

Sonic landed next to Aaron. "You alright?"

Aaron nodded. "Yeah, just give me a few seconds."

The skin then regenerated itself, allowing Aaron to move his arm again. "Alright, now lets end this."

Sonic smiled and have a thumbs up.

Robotnik laughed into the sky as thunder cracked through the sky. "You think you have an upper hand against me? Let me show you a new trick!"

Robotnik then formed a sword from his arm and held it straight up. After a few seconds, a bolt of lightning struck it. Robotnik quickly swung it downward, sending a wave of electricity at Sonic and Aaron.

The wave was moving too fast to avoid entirely. Aaron quickly moved in front of Sonic and formed a large metal shield from his back, cutting off the coat. The electricity struck the shield and shot over them. Aaron felt the electricity charge through the metal, shocking him immensely for a few seconds.

Aaron took knelt down, shaking violently from the electric shock. He returned his back to normal and stayed kneeling. Sonic smiled and patted Aaron on the shoulder. When Sonic's hand touched Aaron's shoulder, Sonic felt a small shock got through his glove.

Sonic moved his hand away and smiled. "Good work Aaron. Get back in the fight when your ready."

Sonic charged at Robotnik again. Robotnik had his sword up in the air, preparing for another attack. Lightning struck it again when Sonic got close, blinding him for a moment. Sonic stumbled back slightly. Sonic then felt as if he was being hurled through an electric current. Volts of electricity shot through him as Robontik unleashed another wave when Sonic was blinded. It felt as if Sonic was in a very hot oven and his skin was crawling on its own, making him shake violently. Sonic was hurled through the air, landing hard on the pavement.

Sonic rolled to a stop and shook violently on the ground. His arms quaked as he tried to stand, eventually getting to his knees. Robontik walked a few feet in front of Sonic and smiled. "How does it feel to have pure electricity run through your body? Now you can tell me how it feels to have a blade in your chest!"

Robotnik then pulled his arm back and stabbed at Sonic. Sonic felt something hard hit his side and push him out of the way. The sound of metal cutting through metal filled the air for a brief moment. Sonic looked up at Robotnik to see Aaron in Sonic's place, Robontik's blade through Aaron's chest.

Aaron smiled and grabbed hold of Robotnik's arm, holding him in place. Aaron then reached in his pocket and pulled out the same syringe from earlier and threw it at Sonic. Aaron then grabbed hold of Robotnik's other arm and tried to hold him in place.

Robontik smiled. "I'll just take your metal then if you feel like being a hero."

The metal in Aaron's chest then began to crawl up towards Robotnik's arms. Aaron smiled at Robotnik, a bit of blood rolling out the corner of his mouth. "But you can't move while doing this can you? Or use your abilities as a TMMO?"

Robontik grunted. "And so what?"

Aaron then turned to Sonic. "Stab that into his neck Sonic! Do it now!"

Sonic's shaking had stopped and he grabbed the syringe, pulling the cover off of the needle and ran at Robontik. Robotnik's eyes widened. "No. stay back you fool! You'll ruin everything!"

Sonic jumped up and stabbed Robotnik in the neck with the syringe, emptying it quickly. "Kinda the point Egghead."

Sonic then quickly jumped off of Robotnik. Robotnik grunted and knelt down, blade still in Aaron's chest. The metal that was on Robotnik's skin began to melt off, slowly turning him back to normal. The blade eventually melted as well, and Aaron fell flat on his back.

Robotnik screamed in agony as he was changed back to normal. He pulled the syringe out of his neck and began to walk towards the bridge. "SNIVELY! Status report!"

Snively's voice came over the outside speakers. "More than 90% of our forces have been destroyed. 45% of our shields have been destroyed by Knothole's anti-air defenses. We have only 30% of our remaining energy to keep the ship flying. We should retreat!"

Robotnik nodded and looked back at Aaron. "Fire the cannons at them, don't let them leave here alive!" Robontik then quickly ran inside.

Sonic ran over to Aaron, who was lying on the ground holding his chest. "Aaron, are you alright?"

Aaron smiled and answered back sarcastically, "Never better, you?"

Sonic smiled and shook his head. "Come on, I'll get you out of here."

Aaron shook his head, coughing up a bit of blood "You don't...have time. Leave me...I'm dead anyway."

Sonic shook his head and knelt down to pick Aaron up. "I don't leave a friend behind." Sonic saw one of the cannons turn towards them and fire just before Sonic could pick Aaron up. The shot missed, but the shock wave sent Sonic and Aaron overboard. Sonic hurled through the air, cold air chilling his fur. Sonic could see the ground rapidly approaching.

The Freedom Fighters jet then quickly flew in next to Sonic, keeping up with his falling speed. The doors opened and Sally reached out to Sonic. "Move a bit closer Tails!" called out Sally. The plane slowly edged towards Sonic.

"Hurry Sally, we got about ten seconds before it's too late!" called out Tails.

Sally reached out towards Sonic as far as she could. Sonic reached towards her, angling his body so he would move towards her. Sonic grabbed hold of Sally's hand and Sally hauled Sonic in. Sonic landed on top of Sally and Tails pulled the plane up, avoiding the ground by a few short feet. Sonic rolled over on his back and breathed heavily "What a ride." said Sonic.

Sally smiled and sat up, shutting the door quickly. She then helped Sonic to his feet. Sonic looked around for a second. "Wait a minute, Aaron! Where is he?"

Tails looked down in despair. "I saw him hit the ground just after we pulled up."

Sonic grunted and sat down in a chair nearby. Sally sat next to him, an arm wrapped over his shoulder.

King Acorn then sent a transmission to the Freedom Fighters. "Robotnik is retreating and the robots have been destroyed. The battle is won!"

Tails smiled and put on the headset. "That great to hear. Things are alright on our end. Sonic's alive and kicking."

After a few seconds of silence, King Acorn spoke again. "And Aaron? He hasn't contacted us since the transmission was cut off."

Tails paused for a second. "He battled Robotnik with Sonic. Aaron was stabbed through the heart and thrown off of the airship. It looks like he landed just east of the city."

After a moment of silence, King Acorn replied. "Alright, I'll send a team to find him here shortly. Right now, the Freedom Fighters are to come back to the castle. There's been a bit of damage and we need all the help we can get."

Tails nodded and said they would be there shortly. Tails then flew the plane in to the airport and landed. The Freedom Fighters soon moved to the Castle. The city itself wasn't damaged too bad, a few buildings were leveled, but most were still standing. The outside of the castle looked pretty good as well. Lots of destroyed Robots were outside the castle, and being piled up. The Chaotix were outside the castle, helping to move the destroyed machines out of the way. Knuckles waved as he saw Sonic.

"Heya! Good to see your still alive! Was the fighting good up there?" asked Knuckles.

Sonic smiled and waved back. "Not too bad. And down here?"

Knuckles smiled and looked around. "See for yourself. We handled the outside while the Secret Service handled the inside. Some rubble collapsed around one of the hallways, but that's really the only damage to the castle."

Sonic nodded and began to help move the machines out of the way, as did the remaining Freedom Fighters. It took them about an hour to clear it up. During the cleaning, the Freedom Fighters saw a team of medics leave with a stretcher. They didn't bother to ask questions and continued to work.

When the job was done, King Acorn walked out, a broad smile on his face. "Well done Freedom Fighter, and Chaotix. You both have done an excellent job. Hopefully that will teach Robotnik to try and attack us eh?"

Sonic nodded and punched his open hand. "Bring him on, I'll beat him down every time."

King Acorn nodded before looking up slightly, as if something caught his attention. He placed a hand to his ear. "Yes?" he said. After a moment's pause, King Acorn sighed. "Alright. Bring him back here. Thank you."

King Acorn then turned around and walked inside. Sally was not far behind. "Who was that daddy?" King Acorn sighed and whispered to Sally. Sally gasped and placed a hand over her mouth. King Acorn then walked back inside.

Sally moved her hand away from her mouth and walked towards the Freedom Fighters and the Chaotix. Sonic noticed the slight sadness in her face. "What's wrong Sally?" asked Sonic.

Sally looked up and sighed. "The medical team found Aaron. He's dead."

Sonic froze in place for a moment, before walking up to Sally and hugging her. Everyone else held their heads low, even the Chaotix. Sally whispered into Sonic's ear, "Daddy's gone to tell Geoffrey and his team now."

Sonic nodded and let go of Sally. "Alright. C'mon, we should go inside and see if we can help anyone in there?"

Sally nodded and walked inside, as did the Freedom Fighters and Chaotix.

**Alrighty the, got that big ass chapter out of the way. Review!**


	22. A Fallen Ally

**Alright, time for the last chapter. Thanks for sticking with me for all of those who followed this story. And to to everyone else, thanks anyway. Review!**

**Chapter 22- A Fallen Ally**

It has been a few short days after Robotnik's attack. Damage to the city was minor, but the damage to the castle was somewhat severe. Not severe enough to destroy it, but enough to cause several rooms, and hallways to collapse. As far as casualties, only around 50. Most of them were guards, a few civilians. Funerals for these people were given a few days later after the attack.

A gush of wind rustled through a large graveyard. Each tombstone was made of a brilliant white marble. The Freedom Fighters, and the Royal Secret Service were all standing in front of a particular tombstone. It read 'Aaron Morevah, Ally to Mobius.'

No one spoke as they gazed upon the tombstone, wind rustling through the graveyard, chilling the air. Geoffrey eventually knelt down and placed a small badge that read 'Royal Secret Service'. Geoffrey stood back up and saluted, as did the remaining Secret Service. When Geoffrey lowered his hand, as did the remaining members.

Geoffrey finally spoke. "We never really fully brought him into the Royal Secret Service."

Sally smiled lightly. "You never had time to."

Geoffrey nodded silently and began to leave, Hershey and the other two short behind him.

After a short while later, the Freedom Fighters left, each heading home. Sonic and Sally both left together, hand in hand. Just as they reached the gates, Sonic sighed slightly.

"You know, I don't think I could've beaten Robotnik without his help." said Sonic remorsefully.

Sally smiled and shook her head. "I'll bet you could've. Robotnik's never fully won before, and he never will."

Sonic stood silent for a moment, looking to the ground in front of him. "That's not what I'm worried about. Robotnik will eventually catch on. What if next time I can't stop him?"

Sally grabbed Sonic by the shoulders. "Look at me Sonic."

Sonic slowly tilted his head up to look at Sally's green eyes.

"No matter what happens, we will prevail. We're the Freedom Fighters." said Sally encouragingly.

Sonic smiled and nodded slightly. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry for being such a downer."

Sally smiled and kissed Sonic on the cheek. "Go get some rest Sonic. You need it."

Sonic nodded and hugged Sally. "Thank you." he whispered into her ear

Sally smiled and hugged back breifly. Sonic eventually broke the embrace. "See you later Sal."

Sally nodded and waved Sonic off as she headed towards the castle. Sonic turned towards his house and ran. Within a few minutes, he reached it. After a brief talk with his parents, Sonic headed to his room. Sonic flicked on the lights and walked towards his bed. He sat down with his face in his hands.

"How long can I keep this up? How long is it gonna take for Robotnik to stop?" Sonic mumbled to himself.

Sonic felt a cold wind rush into his room. He looked up at the window and was startled to see a guitar case sitting at his windowsill with an envelope tapped to it. Sonic stood up and shut the window and took the envelope off. It read 'Read Me' on the front. Sonic opened it and read it.

_Sonic; if you are reading this note, I'm not around anymore. I left the guitar here shortly before the alarms went off signaling Robotnik's approach. I'm not good at leaving final notes, so bear with me. Even though I don't believe in a hero, perhaps I believe in Heroes. If you ever find yourself in a situation where your strength alone isn't enough, don't be afraid to rely on others. That's what I neglected to do, and I payed the price for it. Remember this Sonic, you are not alone. Your friends, allies, and family will help you out._

_Sincerely, Aaron._

_P.S. I leave my Guitar to you. I think you would be a suitable owner for it after I died._

Sonic smiled and folded the note before opening the case. The guitar sat inside. Sonic quickly shut it and smiled. "I'll take good care of it Aaron."

Sonic then jumped onto his bed, hands behind his head as he gazed up at the ceiling. _No, I'm not alone_. Thought Sonic. _I have friends, Allies, Family, and those I love to help me. Watch yourself Ro-Butt-Nik, you got some heroes to get past before you win._

Sonic then closed his eyes, eager for the adventures coming in the future. The allies to be met, the enemies to beat, the friends to make, and the love to bloom. Sonic smiled as he slowly drifted to sleep.

**Alright then. I had to make that one pretty short since I was out of ideas. Thanks again! If any of you are interested, I have a story currently posted as a sequel to Sonic Unleashed. Read it if you want. Review!**


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